On Thursday, US lawmakers discussed whether or not the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act should be renewed. FISA gives government the power to monitor phone calls, emails and other forms of electronic communication. Critics believe that FISA can now be used to target citizens all in the name of homeland security. Andrew Blake, RT’s web producer, joins us with more on the controversial legislation and discusses other legislation such as CISPA, SOPA and PIPA.

Is FISA Unconstitutional?

Massive surveillance of your communications happened during the Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping experiment and then we know that Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act in 2008. Except we also know that there were abuses and domestic communications were collected as well, so this clearly brings up a range of privacy and civil liberties issues. If Congress goes the way the Obama administration is pushing for, that just means reauthorizing the law that’s set to expire at the end of this year. Today there was a hearing on Capitol Hill where lawmakers at least discussed some of the concerns and heard testimony from the ACLU. EFF’s Trevor Timm discusses.

Hip-hop artist Immortal Technique is a self-described social guerrilla. Felipe Coronel is the real name of the Peruvian-born, Harlem-raised political activist who raps about politics, religion and racism. Since the genesis of the OWS movement, Tech has been an active voice for the cause, and on July 10 a documentary will be released showing his everyday life. He now joins us with more on his beliefs and his work.

Confirmations of Nuke Move Against Japan, South Korea and US

Japan’s top secret Plutonium production and storage facility facing attack, a radiation catastrophe for North America planned. Based on multiple confirmations from official sources, plans are afoot to use a Russian nuclear device to destroy the secret Japanese weapons grade facility at Rokkasho Mura in the Aomori Prefecture.

We now have strong reason to believe that the Fukajima earthquake and tidal wave were not a natural event but one engineered to damage Japan and as a “first volley” in a radiation war against the United States.

A second, far more serious attack has been discovered, the agencies involved are the NSA, the British Covert Services, the Royal Navy and the Office of Naval Intelligence.

A “repeat performance” is scheduled, one we hope this detailed report will offset. The United States, North America in general and Northern Europe will suffer extreme radiation contamination at a level capable of inducing widespread cancers and a drastic reduction in population.

Fukajima – Before it got really bad. Act two is in progress.

This is the plan and, at the end of this article, we will specifically describe the confirmed organization that is responsible for Fukajima and the manipulation of hundreds of events that began even before the end of World War II.

The organization described includes one former two former presidents, minimally two former CIA directors, planned the assassination of JFK, has, at its disposal dozens of nuclear weapons and “energy devices” of unknown description.

Several key members of congress are active members, one a former presidential candidate, some willingly, some blackmailed, either by pedophile rings in the US and Europe or through threats and extortion. Of the “secret organizations” and “terror groups,” those we describe count, to a very large degree as both, the visible part of what we are not ever allowed to see, what no one sees, the rulers, whose visage is as fatal as looking on the face of god.

Well known families are involved, in some cases, those scheduled to rise to power have been “replaced” with trained agents. What had been “Internet rumor” is no longer such, it is fact.

Breivik is a member of this organization as are the police in Norway, Poland and elsewhere. The P2/Gladio operation, responsible for acts of terror through the 70s, 80s and 90s were this organization, sanctioned by NATO and the CIA but purely working for a cabal of pseudo-ubermenchen, delusional super-humans.

Widely known for many years – But widely unknown at the same time.

By their own pronouncement its members of ancient bloodlines who stand above the Bilderbergers, Skull and Bones or the more public low ranking secret societies.

Freemasonry, the Jesuits and hundreds of high ranking Satanists who sit at the forefront of American government and power, at the forefront of all of Europe, are served by this organization.

The bizarre patters of rendition, the secret prisons, the need to oversee everything from intersection cameras to cash registers that calculate our eating habits, these things represent far more than incursions on privacy.

Were we to speak unpleasant truth one would note that it wasn’t democracy that won World War II. America lost, just as General Patton told Eisenhower. Russia would rule the east and infiltrate the West. Germany’s services under Carnaris would bring America to her knees, even if it took decades, which it did.

The end of the Cold War and the beginning of the War on Terror, as smooth a transition as imaginable, its own “Pearl Harbor,” planned so carefully, timed so easily, wars that last decades, faith in everything disappearing, a world taught to “take it in the behind and keep its mouth shut,” that was so much more, even than expected.

An important aspect of putting together the coup of 2001 began in 1945 when “the defeat” turned into American disarmament and the establishment of political organizations that would turn America from global superpower to slave state.

“Paperclip” was part of that takeover, Allen Dulles, his brother John Foster Dulles, both Hitler’s lawyers at one time, Richard Nixon joined the cabal bringing Kissinger, General Dornberger and Colonel Werner Von Braun of the SS were tasked with strangling the US missile and space programs.

Fort Bliss Texas – 104 captured German rocket engineers

It was George H.W. Bush, aided by his elderly father, Senator Prescott Bush, that positioned them for their work.

“This third day of October, 1942, is the first of a new era in transportation, that of space travel… ” —Walter Dornberger, speech at Peenemünde 3 October 1942

“I have had to apologize only to two men in my whole life. The first was Field Marshal von Brauchitsch. I did not listen to him when he told me again and again how important your research was. The second man is yourself. I never believed that your work would be successful. ” —Adolf Hitler, Apology to Major-General Dornberger, 8 July 1944

Gen. Dornberger and von Braun after capture – WWII

Learn all you can about Dornberger, about him, about Bush, about Dulles, about Lee Oswald, about von Braun.

Bush, war hero of Chi Chi Jima or something very different, shot down over water or landed and was later delivered to a waiting American submarine as arranged through our Japanese enemies and Admiral McCain.

He is said by a knowledgeable few to have been the architect of naval disasters, nearly responsible for the deaths of 25,000 abandoned Marines on Guadalcanal.

Japanese sources say they still have “41′s” PBR, looking like the day it came off the assembly line, buried in a cave on Hokaido next to the skeletons of the Korean workers tasked with burying it.

There could, of course, be no truth to this no matter how reliable the source or how much sense the story makes based on investigations of that day, reports from other crews or the miraculous survival of one so conveniently saved while the rest of the crew disappeared though their plane could have floated for an hour.

Ah, but I digress…

Are these the rumors the Internet brings us or suppressed history, knowledge and proof of which, were such proof to exist, to be a sentence of death.

Years later we saw another McCain, an admiral, engineer the attack on the USS Liberty, arranging the killing of an American crew. Who and what can order such things, profit from such?

John McCain – Fellow Hanio Hilton Pows wanted him courtmarshalled

We saw his son on 32 broadcasts while a prisoner of war, standing accused of treason, now serving in the Senate alongside Senator Lieberman, McCain enjoying a heroic history and a presidential pardon at the same time. We even have one Medal of Honor winner with similar qualifications.

Patton is turning over in his grave, these and so many like them, either heroes or respected and esteemed, having spent lives as petty plotters, minor pirates or war criminals, this is, of course, if there is any substance to what so many tell with such reluctance.

This being “Bilderberger Week,” we find ourselves asking who our masters are. I will simply offer you a glimpse at their enforcers and tell you the history you have been taught, much of it you have read, seen on television, watch daily on The Military History Chanel and such is, not just a blend of truth and a sea of propaganda but more insidious.

To the rulers, the wars, I and II, so many others, are but squabbles, opportunities for profit, signposts along the way toward an end that will leave the planet unrecognizable and depeopled.

Our elite, the CRF, the Bilderbergers and such wouldn’t be allowed to serve tea to our rulers. I won’t discuss them but were one to take a DNA sample, more would be understood.

FUKASHIMA II, DUSTING AMERICA WITH PLUTONIUM

Now there is another task, one aimed at the United States, willing to sacrifice more of Japan, a nation dying as we speak, willing to lay waste to even Northern Germany, and environs, the “homeland” Hitler was so willing to see destroyed as undeserving of his trust.

As we are told, the dates will be June 21 or 22. We have a second confirmation for August 17. Both are earthquakes, same area, tremendous damage, one a nuclear disaster, one predicted as natural but reported by an intelligence agency.

We looked for responses from South Korea, none, and from China, who I believe has been active in moving to control North Korea through a series of assassinations. I have been told I am totally wrong, totally wrong though mostly correct. I had trouble understanding that one.

Let me be clear. If there is an earthquake along the area we are predicting in Japan then it will be an act of war against the United States and require a response. It will most certainly require for us to abandon our Disneyesque disinformation campaign, convincing Americans they live in an imaginary world populated by “liberals and conservatives.” a shoddy cover for something far more sinister, far more global and even beyond economic determinism.

We are dealing with forces that don’t even care about wealth and what we have come to understand as power.

Japanese Weapons Enrichment Facility on this Map..Somewhere

You may be able to find it. It is large, it looks like something else, it is isolated, it appears to serve a national purpose but lacks certain facilities, taking advantage of the innate lack of curiosity Japanese suffer and America’s ambivalence at seeing an ally ready to “step up” and accept its historical destiny. Others have ideas of derailing that destiny.

We are only hinting here, this is a story too dangerous to tell. We can mention the Bush and McCain family, generations of it, the Dulles family, so many familiar names

Japan has several thousand kilograms of machined Plutonium “pits” in storage here, enough to “go nuclear” in hours if threatened by China. This facility is under threat of destruction by what is meant to appear as an earthquake.

The source of the quake will be a Russian nuclear warhead, currently on-board a German diesel/electric Model 21 submarine heading for refueling at this time in the Philippine Islands. There it will take on a new crew.

Refueling will take place adjacent to the Eversley Yacht Club near Mindoro. We have the names of those involved, the exact location of this operation and the path the submarine will take.

This will be along the Chinese coast, inside Taiwan, past Shanghai and very close to the Korean Peninsula, close enough to be of interest to the government of South Korea.

Planned speed is 13 knots and the submarine will arrive off Japan on June 7, 2012 for a planned rendezvous with the MV Hi Chikyu Maru, the deep sea drilling vessel reported by some to have been conveniently placed during the destruction of the Fukajima nuclear plant, the largest “accident” or “event” of its kind, a thousand times worse than Chernobyl.

Perhaps the most amazing part of this is the cover being used by the Chikyu Maru. It’s “quasi-official” role is the destruction of Japanese defense infrastructure on behalf of a dozen or more named conspiracies.

Meaning, of course, any convenient “mishap” near this ship cannot be attributed to them as they have been “vaccinated” by planted stories in the fringe press

BACKGROUND

The nuclear weapon involved had left Bremerhaven, one of four, weeks ago. We had been told it was taken ashore in the UK, “dialed” or “detuned” to 100 kilotons for an attack to disrupt the London Olympics. Several intelligence agencies were involved after the American VELA satellite system detected the weapon which disappeared when the submarine submerged immediately after loading.

Gossip from Whitehall indicated that a “certain ministry” had grounded Britain’s aircraft capable of detecting nuclear material, something we were able to confirm from many sources from intelligence agencies to simply Facebook gossip originating from operational personnel.

Days later, the “all clear” was given, and a “not very public” statement was issued to intelligence agencies that the weapon had been recovered. We now believe this announcement to have been purposefully misleading, that the weapon was moved, not “recovered” and was reloaded onto a German Model 21 U Boat. Quote from a knowledgeable source on the logistical questions raised by this mission:

“Confusion re U-Boat probably engendered by refit – we think she IS a Type XXI, but refitted with new diesel engines for surface running and Type 212 type Air Independent Propulsion. Transit time right in the ball-park – we are thinking 13 knots, journey 13,000 nautical miles, transit 1,000 hours, ie approximately 41 days 16 hours. Allowing for estimated departure on 23rd April, and two days for refuelling, crew changeover, routine maintenance etc, arrival in the target are on June 7th is credible, plus or minus say two days.”

The form of delivery, doom will come in such a historical package, a Nazi superweapon, a submarine decades beyond what was capable, refitted, one of several, on another mission.

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THE GERMAN DVD

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By Michael Shrimpton for Veterans Today

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This is a hot intel topic and one which has provoked a certain amount of debate within the Intelligence Community (INTELCOM). That is partly because much of the material, including SATINT of the agency’s HQ in Dachau Germany (about a klick from the old concentration camp, a former DVD facility) has been classified at too high a level in this author’s humble opinion. As Gordon Duff can confirm this author is very humble. (Ed: Mike is humble…not.)

DVD stands for Deutsches Verteidigungs Dienst, or German Defense Service. It was set up by German spymaster Admiral Wilhelm Canaris in 1943/4, after he appreciated that Germany was going to lose the war. He and his deputy, GeneralLeutnant Erwin von Lahousen, a serious Kraut, were determined that Germany would win the peace, which to date she has done. They started moving files, gold, officers and other stuff down to Dachau from Berlin as early as the fall of 1943. Nazis were not invited. The DVD are not and never have been Nazi – these were the boys who installed the Nazis, and they were a lot smarter. Your average Nazi was pretty dumb, no smarter than your average Democrat.

The DVD arranged to extend the war for 6 months, by pushing Operation Market Garden, the abortive attempt to cross the Rhine and outflank the Krauts. They used assets in the British Army to hold up the advance of XXX Corps on Arnhem and assets in the Air Ministry to suppress photo-intel of the SS Panzer Division they moved in to the Arnhem area, ie our guys were ambushed. The extra time was needed to move gold, cash and folk out of Germany into Argentina and elsewhere, using a covert fleet of modified Type XXI U-Boats, used for cargo work (they were never put through the books of the Kriegsmarine). Three at least of that fleet are still in business, 67 years later, refitted with Air Independent Propulsion and new diesels. If that sounds old remember the Big E – great ship – is still going strong more than 50 years after she was commissioned, indeed her proposed decommissioning is premature.

Canaris faked his death in ’45 – he has two graves. As I reveal in my forthcoming history of the DVD, Spyhunter, there is even a post-war photo of Canaris, in the biography by one of his more loyal lieutenants, one Colonel Whiting, of the OSS and DVD, allegedly taken in 1944 (t wasn’t). His head of air intelligence was GeneralMajor Adolfo Galland, who has two interesting gaps in his resume, covering the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ‘Chinese’ Mig-15s in Korea (a German design by the way) never flew over South Korea and always returned north of the Yalu because most of their pilots were German.

Dolfo repeated the same trick in Vietnam. You won’t find many genuine North Vietnamese air aces signing prints of their Mig-21s – most of the Mig 21 pilots over ‘Nam were Luftwaffe, ie West German, with some East Germans as well. There was no Cold War split in German intelligence – the DVD ran both the West German BND (Gehlen was DVD) and the Stasi, their key man in East Berlin being the author’s old ‘friend’ (strictly an enemy, but the old boy and he got on well) GeneralOberst Markus Wolf.

It is only in recent years that the last senior Luftwaffe officers with operational experience in ‘Nam have retired. Many of them were trained by the USAF, eg in Texas, in American air combat tactics, a gross deception by the Germans, who were of course very familiar with the capabilities of the F-4. The author once ‘congratulated’ a German air force general at a drinkies on shooting down 4 B-52s over Hanoi – the poor guy had nowhere to go. Of course the author would have much preferred it had the general had been shot down, but if you want your Hun to cough you have to be nice to him. The author didn’t get intel out of Markus Wolf by being offensive – and you had to get up pretty early in the morning if you wanted something out of Markus. He was treated badly by his own people by the way, one reason why we know so much about them. They can’t stop double-crossing their own – your Jerry will always sacrifice another Jerry for the Fatherland.

The DVD control most of the world’s cocaine and heroin trade, all the major paedophile rings and the COREA Group. They have a UK operation, known as GO2, inspiration for Ian Fleming’s fictional ‘OO’ section. The Bilderberg group and Trilateral Commission are DVD front organisations, although most of their members are unaware of that – you have to get through to the hard, inner core before you get the intelligence connection. Nice Trilats like Judge Bill Webster (hi Bill!) are nothing whatsoever to do with the DVD. The DEA boys south of the border will occasionally encounter the Krauts who control the cartels, but they usually stay pretty deep.

Their political assets are legion, one reason the US lost the Vietnam War and the UK fouled up so badly over the IRA. They specialise in talent-spotting and blackmailing future leaders. Several US Presidents have been close to the DVD, Eisenhower being a prominent example. Kennedy wasn’t, which is why he became an ex-President, sadly. If you know that Allen ‘von’ Dulles and Richard ‘von’ Helms were DVD it’s a lot easier to make sense of that operation. In Britain Macmillan, Wilson and Heath were all DVD assets, hence their enthusiasm for the UK joining the EU, aka the German Sphere of Influence. The bad guys are still in business, in a big way. The agency seems to have about 10,000 people and its HQ complex is quite large, mostly underground.

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Michael Shrimpton

Michael Shrimpton was born on 9th March 1957 in the RAF Hospital, Ely, in Cambridgeshire, the son of an RAF fighter pilot and a former RAF nursing sister. Brought up in Australia, where his family emigrated after his father took up a second career as an Air Traffic Controller, Michael returned to England to study law in 1978.

He graduated with honours from the University of Wales in 1981 and was elected President of the Union of University College Cardiff the same year. He was called to the Bar by Gray’s Inn in 1983. Whilst at university he joined the RAFVR’s University of Wales Air Squadron, flying first solo in 1979 on the Bulldog T Mk. 1.

Originally a member of the Labour Party and a Parliamentary Candidate in 1987 he defected to the Tory Party on the issue of Europe in 1997. He has always been opposed to UK membership of the EU.

In 1999/2000 he represented the late General Pinochet in successful negotiations in Washington with inter alia the late Lt-Gen Vernon Walters, formerly Deputy Director of the CIA, ensuring the general’s return to Chile. After that he was increasingly drawn into the intelligence world, representing intelligence officers and providing analysis to governments and intelligence agencies.

After 9-11 he appeared on specialist counter-terrorism panels in Washington and LA with former general and flag officers. His analysis on the true pilot training of the 9-11 pilots has never been seriously challenged within INTELCOM. He assisted both Joint Congressional Inquiry into 9-11 and met with a member of the 9-11 Commission in Washington.

Michael has briefed staffers on the House Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee. He was a frequent visitor to the Pentagon in the Bush-Cheney years. He was a speaker at the inaugural Intelligence Conference (Intelcon) in 2005 and the Intelligence Summit in 2006, after which he was flown out to the USS Enterprise at sea by the US Navy, as part of their Distinguished Visitor Program. He is one of comparatively few British civilians to have completed a carrier landing and catapult take-off cycle from a US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

In 2006 he was appointed to the Adjunct Faculty of the American Military University, where he taught on the Masters in Strategic Intelligence Program. He has been a sometime member of the Royal United Services Institute, the Military Commentators Circle, the International Institute of Strategic Studies and Chatham House. He has published in the national security field and in 2010 took an 18 month sabbatical to write his ground-breaking intelligence text Spyhunter.

He has a wide range of defence and intelligence contacts. Although mostly concerned with intelligence analysis, teaching and writing Michael has popped up in the occasional hotspot, such as the West Bank, the Golan Heights and Israeli-Lebanese frontier. He has travelled widely, including Eastern Europe and has visited over 35 US states, including Alaska.

The final showdown in the ongoing financial war is appearing imminent. The 140 nation BRICS alliance is preparing to offer to buy up all cash US dollars and replace them with a new currency backed by a basket of commodities, including precious metals, according to multiple sources. After that move, any money printed by the US Federal Reserve Board crime syndicate would not be accepted as currency by the 140 nation group. This would force an end game for the criminal cabal that illegally seized power in the United States.
Before that move, though, there will be a 5-day bank holiday in Europe followed by the end of the Euro and the re-introduction of old national currencies like the Deutschemark and the Drachma, Rothschild family sources say.

The situation, however, remains highly volatile and there are signs of dangerous end-game maneuvers by the cabal.

May 30, 2012 – HAWAII – A swarm of 30 earthquakes rattled Hawaii’s Mount Kilauea volcano over a 48 period from Monday to Tuesday. The strongest of the tremors was a 3.3 magnitude earthquake which erupted on May 29, at a depth of 10 km. Most of the tremors have been very shallow, with most registering at depths of less than 8 km. Geologists have been warning for the last year that Hawaii’s seemingly placid volcano is capable of very violent large-scale outbursts so close monitoring of volcanic activity is crucial. –The Extinction Protocol

Volcanic Activity

The largest volcanoes on our planet may take as little as a few hundred years to form and erupt.

These “supervolcanoes” were thought to exist for as much as 200,000 years before releasing their vast underground pools of molten rock.

Researchers reporting in Plos One have sampled the rock at the supervolcano site of Long Valley in California.

Their findings suggest that the magma pool beneath it erupted within as little as hundreds of years of forming.

That eruption is estimated to have happened about 760,000 years ago, and would have covered half of North America in its ash.

Such super-eruptions can release thousands of cubic kilometres of debris – hundreds of times larger than any eruption seen in the history of humanity.

Eruptions on this scale could release enough ash to influence the global weather for years, and one theory holds that the Lake Toba eruption in Indonesia about 70,000 years ago had long-term effects that nearly wiped out humans altogether.

What little is known about the formation of these supervolcanoes is largely based on the study of crystals of a material called zircon, which contains small amounts of radioactive elements whose age can be estimated using the same techniques used to date archaeological artefacts and dinosaur bones.

Zircon studies to date have suggested that the time between the formation of the enormous magma pools and the eventual super-eruptions can be measured in the hundreds of thousands of years.

Now, Guilherme Gualda of Vanderbilt University and his colleagues present several lines of evidence from the Bishop Tuff deposit at Long Valley, suggesting that the pools are “ephemeral” – lasting as little as 500 years before eruption.

Enormous eruptions such as that at Yellowstone result in “calderas”, which can become huge lakes

Initially, the magma pools are nearly purely liquid rock, with few bubbles or re-crystallised minerals.

Over time, crystals develop, but the process stops at the point of the eruption. As a result, the characteristic development time of these crystals can also give an estimate of how long a magma pool existed before erupting.

Rather than zircon, the team’s target was crystals of the common mineral quartz.

Because the processes and timescales of quartz formation in the extraordinary underground conditions of a magma pool are well-known, the team was able to determine how long the crystals were forming within Long Valley’s supervolcano before being spewed out in the eruption.

Their estimates suggest the quartz formed over a range of time between 500 and 3,000 years.

“Our study suggests that when these exceptionally large magma pools form they are ephemeral and cannot exist very long without erupting,” said Dr Gualda.

“The fact that the process of magma body formation occurs in historical time, instead of geological time, completely changes the nature of the problem.”

At present, geologists do not believe that any of Earth’s known giant magma pools are in imminent danger of eruption, but the results suggest future work to better understand how the pools develop, and aim ultimately to predict devastating super-eruptions.

Rincon de la Viejavolcano is showing activity at significant levels experts from the RSN said. Courtesy of National Seismological Network

The National Emergency Commission (CNE) on Wednesday declared a preventive “green alert” due to recent seismic activity at three volcanoes: Rincón de la Vieja, in the northwestern province of Guanacaste, Poás, northwest of San José in the province of Alajuela, and Turrialba, in the eastern province of Cartago.

“The CNE’s alert is supported by reports from technical and scientific agencies that note the volcanoes are in constant activity,” the commission stated.

Turrialba Volcano, 70 kilometers east of the capital, has seen significant volcanic and seismic activity in recent months, prompting the National Seismological Network to upgraded its own color threat level to yellow.

Emissions of gas at Poás Volcano are expected to increase, and Rincón de la Vieja Volcano has also seen significant volcanic activity, the CNE noted.

Despite the warning, access to the volcanoes will remain open to the public, but visitors must follow guidelines issued at each national park’s entrance.

A light spewing of ash amid renewed rumblings in the Nevado del Ruiz volcano prompted Colombian authorities to evacuate 500 people from beneath its flanks and briefly suspend flights at four airports.

The volcano’s seismic activity was more intense than episodes in April and early May, when it emitted columns of steam, said the government geological agency Ingeominas. The 17,160ft volcano spouted ash that fell on population centres including the western city of Manizales.

Recovery hope ends for miners

The families of 29 men killed 18 months ago when an explosion ripped through a New Zealand coal mine say they are abandoning their campaign to get the remains returned.

Bernie Monk — whose 23-year-old son Michael died in the November 2010 disaster — said an assessment by new mine owners Solid Energy indicates the old mine shaft remains dangerously full of methane. He said the families do not want to risk any more lives in a recovery operation.

Sudan leaves oil-rich region

Sudan withdrew its army from the disputed Abyei border region that contains rich oil fields and is contested by neighbouring South Sudan, handing it over to UN forces, a semi-official media agency reported.

The Sudan Media Centre quoted Al-Khair al-Faheem Mekki, co-chairman of the committee that oversaw the handover, as saying Ethiopian troops would fill the vacuum and maintain security.

Heritage bid for sunken city

A team of international archaeologists said they will ask the United Nations cultural agency to bestow world heritage status on Port Royal, the mostly submerged remains of a historic Jamaican port known as the “wickedest city on earth” more than three centuries ago.

It was once a bustling place where buccaneers docked in search of rum, women and boat repairs. In recent days, consultants have conducted surveys to mark the old city’s land and sea boundaries to apply for the world heritage designation.

Extreme Temperatures/ Weather

On Saturday, crews in Colorado battled a wildfire that has scorched more than 3,000 acres of rugged canyon land near the Colorado-Utah border. U.S. Forest Service spokesman Steve Segin said the fire started Friday afternoon and is burning in a remote area near Paradox. It is not threatening any structures, and no injuries have been reported. Shannon Borders, a spokeswoman for The Bureau of Land Management, said sheriff’s deputies have evacuated the Buckeye Reservoir area, a popular recreation spot near the Utah border. The Rock Creek and Sinbad Valley areas also were evacuated.

A strong heat wave has taken the city in its grip and the weather is expected to get more hot and dry in the next few days. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department, most of the cities including Lahore, will face increasing heat in the next four to five days, with temperature expected to reach 48 degrees Celsius to 50 degrees Celsius in some areas. Maximum temperature for Lahore recorded in the last 24 hours was 43 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, harsh weather conditions forced Lahoris to avoid unnecessary travel and stay indoors, which translated into less traffic on the otherwise busy arteries of the city. Irked by massive load shedding and rising temperature, a large number of citizens, including youngsters, women and children, were also seen bathing in the canal even on Monday despite it being a working day.

The vineyards around the villages of Pignans, Carnoules, Flassans-sur-Issole, Carcès, Besse-sur-Issole, Brignoles, Correns, Cotignac and Le Val et Montfort-sur-Argens in the central Var were at the centre of the storm. For some vineyards, the hail was violent enough to not only destroy this year’s harvest but also those of next year and possibly even 2014. In a primary survey, around ten co-operatives and between thirty to forty independent domains have been affected. A special committee has been set up to evaluate the damage to the individual wine domaines and for compensation to be available. Local mayors have asked for a state of natural catastrophe to be declared. The President of the ‘Syndicat des Vignerons du Var’ said he had never seen a hail storm of this violence. The minister of Agriculture, Stéphane Le Foll, is looking into the extent of the damage, promising support for those hit by the hail.

Many thousands of people were affected. While some scooped water from their own basements, much larger buildings were evacuated including a fancy downtown hotel, the Quebec provincial library, multiple university pavilions, commercial centres and a large part of the metro system.

More than 28,000 people lost electricity in Quebec, with more than half those disruptions occurring in the province’s biggest city. All but about 4,300 customers in the province and 1,900 in Montreal regained their power later in the evening.

The brief but powerful storm saw a sunny afternoon lapse into night-like darkness. A solid slab of water crashed through the air, eventually bursting sideways in what looked like puffy, swirling white clouds.

The rain overwhelmed the city’s aging infrastructure in some places, with water pushing up through manhole covers and sometimes lifting them up.

People scrambled through the streets, some screaming as they were pelted and struggling to cling to umbrellas that seemed about to fly out of their hands.

By the time it was over, there were cars partly submerged in what looked like little lakes, while a pool of water covered several subway stations.

Within hours, many of the trouble spots had been cleared and the metro service was restored on the line that had been disrupted.

Environment Canada said between 40 and 80 millimetres of rain had fallen on the city. Federal meteorologist Andre Cantin said it was the kind of event that occurs in a city once every five to 10 years.

At the Place d’Armes metro stop near Old Montreal, the water was ankle-deep at the ground-floor turnstile — which is well above the lower-level tracks.

Would-be commuters said they had arrived there to an improbable sight: a sheet of water spilling onto the turnstile area from the windows above.

“It was raining from the ceiling,” said Allyson Haring after she navigated the ankle-deep water around the ticket booth.

Her friend said she had never seen anything like it.

“Up here if it’s flooded, I wonder what is going on down there (on the tracks),” said Brenna Maciw, who was scrambling to find another way home to the city’s outer suburbs.

“I feel like this is something that’s going to go down in the books.”

Business people hoping to take the subway skipped, hopped and sloshed through the massive puddles — some while wearing high heels. Upon arriving, they were turned away.

Transit workers, meanwhile, tried to sop up the water with mops and vacuums.

Fire department crews were also dispatched from a number of stations, their heavy engines kicking up water in the streets ahead of them like the bows of ships.

There were also unconfirmed reports of the police 911 system being overwhelmed by calls.

The late-afternoon storm followed a lengthy and loud early morning thunderstorm in the city, and a sunny afternoon. Between those two storms, up to 120 mms had fallen on Montreal, about a third of it coming in the less severe morning shower.

The worst downpour during the afternoon rush hour caused a temporary shutdown of the Ville-Marie tunnel, one of the city’s busiest and most important expressways.

A famous Olympic athlete was caught up in the mess.

“Yup,” figure skater Joannie Rochette tweeted, “I’ve just taken a boat tour of the Ville-Marie tunnel!”

There was minor damage at the local CBC building. A spokesman there said floods did not damage the broadcaster’s archives.

Concordia University was investigating reports of damage to its library. Classes continued Tuesday evening but some university buildings were evacuated, including the library. Pavilions were also evacuated at UQAM university.

Guests were forced to leave an upscale hotel, Le Crystal, that had been flooded. There were also reports on Twitter that several hundred students at a CEGEP, Dawson College, were forced to evacuate during a major exam.

There were some stomach-churning scenes, too.

The clogged sewers caused dirty water to accumulate in some low-lying neighbourhoods. The local CTV station ran, on its website, a photo supplied by a viewer of a rat swimming on the street.

From a single downtown intersection it was possible to see emergency vehicles zipping off in three different directions, their lights flashing and sirens wailing.

There were no immediate reports of injuries.

This Montreal bus was flooded by rising waters in Montreal. (YouTube/Radio-Canada)

Heavy rainstorms have washed out and closed parts of roads in southwestern New Hampshire. The state Department of Transportation says major roadways with high water or washouts after Tuesday evening’s rain are Routes 9, 10 and 12. Route 9 is a major east-west roadway. The areas affected by the road closures include Gilsum and Sullivan. DOT spokesman Bill Boynton says luckily it’s not a statewide issue and there are no reports of traffic accidents or casualties. He says he won’t know how much damage there was to the roads until the water subsides. The heaviest rain fell from around 6 to 6:30 p.m. Concord also had heavy rain but no reports of roads affected. The National Weather Service says hail the size of a quarter rained down on Alstead.

Epidemic Hazards/Diseases

One person has skin lesions and 16 animals have died in an anthrax outbreak in northern Colombia, near the Venezuelan border. A notification on the website for the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) said the outbreak has affected two farms in the department of La Guajira. Colombia’s Agriculture Ministry sent the information to the OIE on May 28. The source of the deadly bacteria has not yet been determined, the report said. One of the affected populations “belongs to an indigenous community in the department of La Guajira,” the notice states. “The community has been informed of the protocol to be applied to dispose of the carcasses, mainly the fact that, under no circumstances, the dead animals must be neither manipulated nor consumed,” the report said. Humans commonly contract anthrax through close contact with infected animals or eating ones that have died from the disease. “Susceptible species are being vaccinated. An intense epidemiological surveillance is being conducted in the area together with the public health authorities,” the notification continued. The animals will be also be quarantined in response to the outbreak. Three goats, three sheep and two pigs have died from the outbreak on one farm. Another five goats and two pigs have died on a separate farm. Anthrax, also used as a biological weapon, is caused by the spore-forming bacteria Bacillus anthracia, the OIE website states. The disease causes dark ulcers on the skin of infected people when contracted from exposure to infected animals, and it occurs on all the continents.

Biohazard name:

Anthrax

Biohazard level:

4/4 Hazardous

Biohazard desc.:

Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.

A possible outbreak of meningitis in the North West is being investigated, the provincial health department says. “Outbreak response teams had been sent to Majakaneng village, near Brits, following a confirmed meningitis death at a local school,” spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said in a statement. He said two more children with suspected meningitis died in the last month in the village. “Interviews conducted by the response teams indicated the deceased children showed signs and symptoms of meningitis.” This could not be confirmed because the children died before visiting a health facility, he said. Lekgethwane said meningitis was a disease caused by the inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord. “The inflammation is usually caused by an infection of the fluid surrounding the brain and spinal cord.” He said meningitis may develop in response to a number of causes, usually bacteria, viruses and fungal infections. The severity of illness and the treatment for meningitis differed, depending on the cause. “Symptoms can appear in any order, but the first symptoms are usually fever, vomiting, sensitivity to light, stiff neck, vomiting and headache, and feeling unwell — just like many mild illnesses,” said Lekgethwane.

Biohazard name:

Meningitis outbreak

Biohazard level:

3/4 Hight

Biohazard desc.:

Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.

All we have to say about it

The Open Eye: For those who associate this with Illuminati, consider it stolen, they can’t have it anymore. It is now our awakening.
Michio Kaku: YES, I am more than aware of his stigma, but not every word out of his mouth is incorrect. This is spot on.
Anonymous : It is not a government group, we watched it ‘begin’… we do all we can, for the best cause we can. To be Anonymous is to take nothing for your contribution, let your value be judged in terms of the goals furthered.

Forgiveness gives the forgiven a choice between darkness and light. That may truly be the lord’s work.

Space

Two small asteroids buzz Earth in back-to-back flybys

NASA says they were well within moon’s orbit, but posed no danger to our planet

Two small asteroids zipped close by Earth in back-to-back flybys of the planet Monday and Tuesday. While both space rocks came well within the moon’s orbit, they posed no danger to our planet, NASA scientists say.

The newfound asteroid 2012 KP24 zoomed by Earth Monday, coming within 32,000 miles (51,000 kilometers) on its closest approach, according to astronomers at NASA’s Asteroid Watch at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

“We’ll have a close but very safe pass of asteroid 2012 KP24 May 28,” scientists with NASA’s Asteroid Watch program assured via Twitter.

Asteroid Watch is part of the Near-Earth Object Office at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

The recently discovered asteroid 2012 KP24 measures about 69 feet (21 meters) across and did not pose any threat to Earth during its flyby, NASA scientists said.

But this space rock is not the only one that paid a close visit to our planet this week.

Another small asteroid, called 2012 KT42, flew past Earth early Tuesday. The asteroid came within 8,950 miles (14,400 km) on its closest approach, which easily fits between the Earth and moon’s orbit. For comparison, the moon typically circles Earth at a distance of about 240,000 miles (386,000 km).

While asteroid 2012 KT42 was only discovered yesterday, the space rock did not pose any impact threat Earth when it made its closest approach at 3:07 a.m. EDT, NASA scientists said.

The small space rock is only about 16 feet (5 m) wide, which means it would not pack much of a punch even if it did hit the planet, according to astronomer Tony Phillips on his websiteSpaceweather.com, which monitors major space weather and skywatching events.

“Even if it did hit, this space rock is too small to cause significant damage,” Phillips wrote. “It would likely disintegrate almost entirely in the atmosphere, peppering the ground below with relatively small meteorites.”

Astronomers with NASA and other organizations regularly scan the skies in search of potentially dangerous near-Earth objects.

Experts estimate that space rocks that measure about 460 feet (140 m) across or larger could cause widespread devastation if they impact the planet. A much larger asteroid, however, would be required to cause destruction on a global scale.

Findings could explain how cold, dry world might have sustained conditions friendly for life

By Charles Q. Choi

Cosmic impacts that once bombed Mars might have sent temperatures skyrocketing on the Red Planet in ancient times, enough to set warming of the surface on a runaway course, researchers say.

According to scientists, these findings could potentially help explain how this cold, dry world might have once sustained liquid water and conditions potentially friendly for life.

The largest craters still visible on Mars were created about 3.7 billion to 4.1 billion years ago. For instance, the Argyre basin — a crater about 710 miles (1,140 kilometers) wide generated by a comet or asteroid 60 to 120 miles (100 to 200 km) in diameter — is thought to be 3.8 billion to 3.9 billion years old,

The origin of these immense craters roughly coincides with when many branching Martian river valley networks apparently formed. The impact that created Argyre basin would have released an extraordinary amount of energy, far more than any bomb made by humanity, or even the asteroid suspected of ending the Age of Dinosaurs 65 million years ago. [7 Biggest Mysteries of Mars]

It would have been an explosion with an energy on the order of 10^26 joules, or 100 billion megatons of TNT. Altogether, scientists had calculated these giant collisions would have raised surface temperatures on Mars by hundreds of degrees.

Long-term warming on Mars?Now these researchers find this heating might not have been fleeting. Instead, the warming might have gone on a runaway course, pushing Mars into a long-term stable warm state.

The idea of runaway warming is most commonly associated with Venus. Scientists think that planet’s close proximity to the sun heated its water, causing it to build up in Venus’ atmosphere as steam. Water is a greenhouse gas, trapping heat from the sun that would have vaporized still more water, leading to a runaway greenhouse effect that apparently boiled all the oceans off Venus.

Ultraviolet light would have then eventually split this atmospheric water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen escaped into space, the oxygen became trapped in the rocks of the planet, and the end-result was a bone-dry Venus.

The researchers note the many giant impacts Mars experienced might have heated the planet enough to send vast amounts of the greenhouse gases water and carbon dioxide into the air. Their computer models suggest that there might have been enough of these gases in the Martian atmosphere to trigger a long-lasting runaway greenhouse effect.

The impact that created the Argyre basin might have by itself been large enough to trigger such a chain reaction. Other impacts that might have pushed Mars toward a runaway greenhouse include the ones that created the Isidis and Hellas basins.

NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona

Images like this from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter show portions of the Martian surface in unprecedented detail. This one shows many channels from 1 meter to 10 meters (approximately 3 feet to 33 feet) wide on a scarp in the Hellas impact basin. On Earth we would call these gullies.

“Any terrestrial planet, including Venus, the Earth or even exoplanets, may have experienced a temporary or permanent runaway greenhouse climate caused by impacts,” researcher Teresa Segura, a planetary scientist at the commercial satellite firm Space Systems/Loral in Palo Alto, Calif., told Astrobiology Magazine.

It is possible that any impacting comets might have delivered even more greenhouses gases into the atmosphere once they vaporized. Still, “the kinetic energy is of most importance,” Segura said.

The researchers do note that during the runaway greenhouse phase, Mars would actually have been too warm for liquid water to last on its surface. Still, this heat would eventually subside — ultraviolet light would have caused the Martian atmosphere to lose its water just as Venus did, forcing the Red Planet to cool.

A wetter MarsAfter runaway greenhouse conditions collapsed but before Mars became too cold for liquid water on its surface, the planet might have remained wet for a long time, possessing “a prolonged hydrological cycle with rainfall and valley networks as well as surface lakes,” Segura said.

It remains uncertain just how long either this runaway state or any wet period afterward might have lasted, but previous research suggests the warm climate may have lasted for at least centuries, she noted.

Future research could analyze the effects cosmic impacts might have on the climates of Venus, exoplanets and Earth. Although impacts might very well be capable of causing a runaway greenhouse effect now, “the size of the impact required is much larger than that we need to worry about today,” Segura said.

That is to say, if our planet was hit by an impact large enough to create the Argyre basin, there probably wouldn’t be anyone on Earth left to worry about any of the collision’s potential effects on climate.

Segura and her colleagues Christopher McKay and Owen Toon detailed their findings online May 2 in the journal Icarus.

A team of scientists from Mumbai left for Nagpur on Tuesday to investigate the impact of last Tuesday’s meteorite shower in the Katol region, which left several houses damaged. The team is expected to reach Nagpur on Wednesday early morning. “We were actually suppose to leave on Monday, but had to wait for the confirmation of our tickets,” Bharat Adur, head of Akash Ganga Centre for Astronomy (AGCA), Thane, said. The scientists will be at the site for the next three days to investigate the matter. “Based on the information I received, at least six houses were affected because of this meteorite shower…only stony iron meteorites have such a huge impact,” said Mr Adur, adding, “We cannot declare anything immediately, and can only confirm the type of meteorite shower, once we visit the site.” When asked if anyone was to be blamed for not forewarning the locals in Katol, Mr Adur said “ I am not blaming anyone for this, but European Space Research Organisation (Esro) should have been more tactful. For that matter, even the airport authorities are provided with a radar, which detects such meteorite showers, at least an hour before they hit the earth. Adequate precautions could have been taken.” Residents of Katol were left shaken after a meteor-ite shower hit the region on May 22. “People are bound to get scared; I will be meeting my relatives and friends as soon as I reach Katol,” Mr Adur said.

Articles of Interest

No matter where we decide to go there is always something amazing to admire in all corners of the world, from the East to the West, from the South to the North, our planet offers a mixture of amazingly mysterious experiences which can occasionally even be somewhat dangerous.

Pillars of Light

“Light pillars” is a visual phenomenon created by the reflection of light which looks like joining the earth and the sky.

It’s not a mystery that how these are formed but it is considered a wonder of nature best viewed just before sunrise or just after sunset, when the sun is low on the horizon.The real reason why these are formed is the ice and pillars are created Light whether artificial or natural, when falls on ice reflects light.These light pillars are created by the reflection of light on the ice. The color and size of them vary depending on the distance from where they are viewed.

The most unforgettable experience is to see a few of them side by side.

Lava “Lake”

This phenomenon should not be called a “lake” because there is no water in it. Instead, here is lava in voth frozen and liquid state.

On our planet we have four such “lakes”: Erta Ale, Ethiopia (image above), Kilaulea, Hawaii, Erebus, Antarctica and Nyiragongo, the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are located in craters of volcanoes. Apparently they represent a very dangerous force of nature! Erta Ale in Ethiopia, for example, is the country’s only known active volcano. when it exploded recently, it forced nomads to flee lava flows, immediately.

The volcano also killed about 1,370 camels and goats, dried and polluted local rivers and has displaced over 2,000 people along with their cattle.

Dust Storm

It’s also a very dangerous, notorious force of nature. Dust storms can reach 2.5 km in height and are often seen on the Arabian peninsula, the Gobi Desert or the Sahara.

They are caused by strong winds blowing over loose soil or sand, and picking up so much of that material that visibility is greatly reduced. The widespread abundance of loose sand in deserts makes them the most common locations for sandstorms to form.

In desert regions at certain times of the year, sandstorms become more frequent because the strong heating of the air over the desert causes the lower atmosphere to become unstable. This instability mixes strong winds in the middle troposphere downward to the surface, producing stronger winds at the surface.

The “Dust Bowl” storms that swept across the Midwest from 1930 to 1936 were terrible experience. They displaced hundreds of thousands of agricultural workers in the central United States and Canada.

Sea sparkle

It is a mysterious experience when you walk along the beach on a warm summery evening, when sea sparkle is in the water. You can see it as your foot presses down on the wet sand. And you can see it in the breaking waves. Sparks of light!

It’s a sea sparkle or Noctiluca scintillans that lives near the surface of the ocean, where it feeds on other planktonic organisms.

When millions of sea sparkle are bounced around by the water or your feet, a chemical reaction takes places which produces a greenish light.

This light is meant to scare off predators. Sea sparkle likes rather quiet waters. Should the sea get too rough, it moves to deeper depths.

Fire Whirl/Fire Devil

It’s a very dangerous combination – it’s a vortex tornado with fire! Tornado itself extremely frightening, but combined with fire – it’s one of the most destructive forces. Whether a simple tornado turns into a tornado of fire whirlpool, is dependent on temperature. Warm air is directed to the inside and cold outside the vortex.

Why is it so dangerous? Well, it’s very difficult to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading. An extreme example is the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in Japan. This tragic fire whirl ignited a large city-sized firestorm and produced a gigantic fire that killed 38,000 people in fifteen minutes in the Hifukusho-Ato region of Tokyo.

Today, fire whirls are often observed when burning grasslands by farmers.

Aurora Borealis

The aurora occurs along ring shaped regions around the north and south geomagnetic poles. The intensity of the displays vary from night to night and throughout each night.

An intense auroral display can cause many problems on the ground, such as intense electric currents along electric power lines (causing blackouts) and oil pipelines (enhancing corrosion).

The aurora can disturb the ionosphere and disrupt short wave communication. Auroral discharge electrons have even damaged the electronics and solar panels of communications and meteorological satellites, rendering them inoperable.

Ocean Currents

Tremendous whirlpools have always terrified sailors, especially in times when their boats were less resistant to weather conditions and enormous water masses. The atmospheric circulation that is set up between the equator and the poles also influences the redistribution of these water masses.

Wind blowing over the ocean surface exerts drag (friction) and starts to move the surface waters.

In addition the currents are influenced by the Coriolis Force and the tides.

Water masses, however, are both fascinating and dangerous force of nature.

In the vicinity of Scotland, one of the currents produces15 feet high waves and is easily heard even from a distance. Water is not always – an adventure. Tsunami, which is water’s very destructive acitivity is dangerous and deadly!

A chemical mix-up at a Darigold plant in Southeast Portland sent eleven people to the hospital Wednesday morning. Portland Fire and Rescue spokesman Paul Corah says they are being treated for respiratory irritation. Corah says a truck was offloading corrosive material inside the plant when hoses were crossed. The material was pumped into the wrong tank. Corah says when the two chemicals mixed, they made a chlorine-type gas. A HAZMAT team is evaluating the condition of the plant. Corah says the gas leak has stopped and there will be no more evacuations required. He said neighbors who live near the plant are not in danger.

Health

Monsanto found guilty of poisoning in pesticide case

http://www.euronews.net/ A court in the French city of Lyon has ruled US pesticides maker Monsanto was responsible for the poisoning of a farmer who had used one of their products on his crops. Paul Francois says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller in 2004.

His lawyer, Stephane Teyssier, described the ruling as “historic”. “The tribunal has ordered an expert opinion, so we will see what comes of that in relation to compensation.”

By JB Bardot,
(NaturalNews) The meat-eaters among you may truly believe that bacon makes everything better; and folks from Iron Chefs to everyday-Joe’s will pay up to $35 a pound for gourmet bacon cuts. However, these delectable pieces of smoked pig are highly processed with numerous toxic chemicals such as nitrites, sodium nitrate, and other products that cause cancer. In particular, your risk ofpancreatic cancer increases two-fold after eating processed meats such as bacon and sausages, reports the British…

Teenage diabetes more than doubles

By J. D. Heyes,
(NaturalNews) In another sign that America is losing its battle of bulging waistlines, new data indicates that the teenage diabetes rate has doubled, as other health risks have also remained dangerously high. Researchers with the American Diabetes Association, as well as other groups, said the number of teens with diabetes or pre-diabetes soared from 9 percent to 23 percent over the past decade. In addition, researchers said, other cardiovascular-related risk factors such as high blood pressure…

Holistic Health

The overwhelming evidence of the healing power of food…

Think there’s not enough research on food and nutrients? Think again! In this week’s UltraWellness Blog, Dr. Mark Hyman details the latest studies on the healing power of food — and explains why you shouldn’t always believe everything you read when it comes to medical research. For more, see http://www.ultrawellness.com/blog

The role of pure water in detoxification

By PF Louis,
(NaturalNews) We need to hydrate with pure water to retain our physical and mental health. All our tissues’ cells need to be hydrated to function properly. Would you believe that most of us are dehydrated? It’s not just your five or so quarts of blood serum that contain water. Your organs’ cells contain water. Your brain and nerve tissues are 80 percent water. Severe dehydration leads to mental derangement and death. Most of us, perhaps 75% of the population, suffer from mild dehydration, which…

Ten ways to use apple cider vinegar in DIY remedies

By Willow Tohi,
(NaturalNews) If time is a teacher, one thing we know is that apple cider vinegar is good stuff. The Babylonians used it as a tonic in 5000 B.C. so its been around for a while. It was also used in ancient Egypt (3000 B.C.) and by Samurai warriors in Japan (1200 B.C.), so it’s grandfathered in – doesn’t need a double-blind study to prove its effectiveness. Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has so many uses. It ranks as one of the top natural remedies for healing the body – from whatever ails it! It’s medicinal…

By John Phillip,
(NaturalNews) Most allopathic medical practitioners would argue that the process of aging is nothing more than a normal process whereby cells deteriorate at a predetermined rate controlled by genetically determined commands and heredity. Standing in stark opposition is a rapidly growing body of research and documented evidence to indicate that aging is a product of many varied lifestyle choices including physical activity, smoking, and most importantly, the type of diet we regularly consume. In…

Gone to the Dogs Again! Beef and Liver Dog Food: Noreen’s Kitchen

Greetings! During this past weekend, it was time to replenish our supply of homemade dog food. This time I have done a variation on my last recipe. I have used organic brown rice, ground beef, peas and carrots a dozen beaten eggs with their shells an 2 pounds of good quality liverwurst broken up in the mix. I got 6 foil pans out of this batch which will be enough for about 1 month of morning feedings.

Next time I plan on making a different variation using ground turkey, canned salmon, oats and sweet potatoes. The dogs love fish and sweet potatoes, I think the turkey will round that out nicely.

I hope you give this a try for your dogs and I hope they love it!
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Positivity Mind and Body

Deepak Chopra : Physical Healing, Emotional Wellbeing

How we can be liberated from stress, burn out, depression, immune dysfunction, relationship pressures and other emotional and physical illnesses.

Deepak Copra is a New York Times Best Selling author, Founder of the Chopra Foundation and a Gallup Senior Scientist. He has written more than 50 books. Time magazine heralds him as one of the top 100 heroes of the century.

Articles of Interest

Killer pain relief

By Craig Stellpflug,
(NaturalNews) We strive to lower the smallest fever, mask, block, and interfere with pain, artificially combat swelling, medicate hypertension, diabetes, and body cholesterol. What we are failing to see is that these are all normal body responses to identify and correct what is wrong and bring balance and healing. Bottom line, pain is not so friendly but it is our friend. It warns us when we are injured to help us pay attention to the wound. Pain signals us to bring outside assistance, like avoiding…

Federal government says it’s okay to lie about pomegranate juice, but not to tell the truth

By J. D. Heyes,
(NaturalNews) Do you remember our recent story (http://www.naturalnews.com) about Coca-Cola getting away with advertising one of its drinks as “Pomegranate Blueberry,” even though it only contained a measly 0.3 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively, of each of those juices? Well, we now learn that the federal government not only sanctions lying about ingredients in drinks, but will punish companies who try to tell the truth about those same products. To recap: Beverage company Pom Wonderful…

Food Safety

AFDO Issues Guidance on Cottage Foods

With so many state lawmakers willing to throw out the rulebook when it comes to cottage foods, the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) has decided it’s time to draw the line.

The 116-year-old AFDO has published a 20-page “guidance document” with “consensus opinion of best practices and limitations on this somewhat controversial matter.”

AFDO says it developed the guidance document for state and local food safety regulators to help them with management of food safety issues associated with cottage food operations. AFDO Food Committee, consisting of food protection officials from around the country, drafted the document.

AFDO defines cottage food as products made in a home kitchen for direct sale to consumers. The FDA Food Code, adopted by most state and local jurisdictions, prohibits the sale of food prepared in a home kitchen from being sold in any food establishment, retail food store, or to any wholesale food manufacturer.

Controversy Continues As Comment Period Closes for HIMP

The comment period for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s proposal to expand the HACCP Based Inspection Models Project (HIMP) closed on Tuesday with strong support from the chicken and turkey industries and more strong criticism from federal poultry inspectors.

Both the National Chicken Council and the National Turkey Federation filed comments in favor of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) rule, which would expand the HIMP pilot beyond the 20 poultry plants already operating under the program.

“The National Chicken Council (NCC) and our members believe a statistically valid, scientifically-based approach to poultry processing will improve food safety and better protect public health,” said NCC in their comment filed online Tuesday.

The HIMP model, which has been utilized in 25 chicken and poultry plants since 1998, reduces the number of FSIS inspectors on duty and largely turns over physical inspections to company employees, while allowing plants to speed up their lines to 175 birds per minute, over the current 140 bpm limit. FSIS says expanding HIMP would modernize an outdated inspection system, save taxpayers around $90 million over three years, and prevent 5,200 foodborne illnesses, mostly from Salmonella, annually

In their comments, NCC called HIMP a “successful pilot program” and said the industry could safely handle faster line speeds: “We are confident the increased line speeds allowed under the proposed rule have been demonstrated over several years to be safe for workers in the broiler chicken industry.”

The National Turkey Federation also strongly supported HIMP in its comments posted on regulations.gov on Tuesday, calling the inspection scheme “the logical next step in modernization of the nation’s food safety system.”

“The proposed rule is a modern, sensible approach that will allow the food safety inspectors to focus on public health,” NTF President Joel Brandenberger said. “The proposed rule will lead to a revamped inspection system that allows the federal inspectors to shift to prevention-oriented inspection systems and redeploy its resources in a manner that better protects the public from foodborne diseases.”

The USDA also estimates that the modernization plan would save the poultry industries $250 million annually, by allowing them to speed up their processing lines.

But union representing federal food safety inspectors, Food & Water Watch, and the Government Accountability Project (GAP), a whistleblower group, have all been extremely critical of HIMP and have helped organize opposition, including the release of documents and affidavits from inspectors that they believe illustrate major flaws in the model.

“In total, six federal inspectors with HIMP-plant experience have come forward at risk to their professional lives,” said Amanda Hitt, director of GAP’s Food Integrity Campaign (FIC). “That’s a huge number, considering the HIMP pilot is only in a few plants – there’s not that many federal inspectors who have this kind of firsthand knowledge.”

Local Health Departments Test Food Ahead of Presidential Conventions

Local health departments in Tampa, Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina have begun testing food at restaurants near the sites of their respective presidential conventions months ahead of each conventions’ start date.

With funding from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, county health inspectors in Florida’s Hillsborough County (host of the Republican National Convention) and North Carolina’s Mecklenburg County (the Democratic National Convention) will be testing food samples for possible contaminants, including “substances that might be used by terrorists,” according to a report published by the Charlotte Observer.

And The BS and Coverup Continues!!!!!

Just look at this article published by Food Safety News and tell me if you feel comfortable eating radioactive anything simply because they say it is within safe limits. Since when is radioactivity safe? Is this a joke? Because truly I do not find it in the least bit amusing!!

Bluefin Tuna With Elevated Radioactivity Still Safe

Movement of a little radioactivity in migrating Bluefin tuna might be a first, but it is not a threat to food safety.

Researchers from Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences and Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station claim to be the first scientists to document radioactive material in the sea being moved by biological migration.

Bluefin tuna are believed to have passed through waters made radioactive by the earthquake and tsunami damaged Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, on March 11, 2011, before migrating the Pacific Ocean to California in August 2011.

When the Bluefin arrived in California waters, the researchers said tests from 15 tuna samples showed elevated levels of radioactivity, but at amounts well within safety limits. The two radioactive substances found were cesium-134 and cesium-137.

The levels of radioactive cesium were 10 times higher than the amount measured in tuna off the California coast in previous years. Photo /AP

Across the vast Pacific, the mighty bluefin tuna carried radioactive contamination that leaked from Japan’s crippled nuclear plant to the shores of the United States 9,650 kilometers away the first time a huge migrating fish has been shown to carry radioactivity such a distance.

“We were frankly kind of startled,” said Nicholas Fisher, one of the researchers reporting the findings online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The levels of radioactive cesium were 10 times higher than the amount measured in tuna off the California coast in previous years. But even so, that’s still far below safe-to-eat limits set by the US and Japanese governments.

Previously, smaller fish and plankton were found with elevated levels of radiation in Japanese waters after a magnitude-9 earthquake in March 2011 triggered a tsunami that badly damaged the Fukushima Dai-ichi reactors.

But scientists did not expect the nuclear fallout to linger in huge fish that sail the world because such fish can metabolize and shed radioactive substances.

One of the largest and speediest fish, Pacific bluefin tuna can grow to 10 feet (3 meters) and weigh more than 450 kilograms. They spawn off the Japan coast and swim east at breakneck speed to school in waters off California and the tip of Baja California, Mexico.

Five months after the Fukushima disaster, Fisher of Stony Brook University in New York and a team decided to test Pacific bluefin that were caught off the coast of San Diego. To their surprise, tissue samples from all 15 tuna captured contained levels of two radioactive substances ceisum-134 and cesium-137 that were higher than in previous catches.

To rule out the possibility that the radiation was carried by ocean currents or deposited in the sea through the atmosphere, the team also analyzed yellowfin tuna, found in the eastern Pacific, and bluefin that migrated to Southern California before the nuclear crisis. They found no trace of cesium-134 and only background levels of cesium-137 left over from nuclear weapons testing in the 1960s.

The results “are unequivocal. Fukushima was the source,” said Ken Buesseler of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who had no role in the research.

Bluefin tuna absorbed radioactive cesium from swimming in contaminated waters and feeding on contaminated prey such as krill and squid, the scientists said. As the predators made the journey east, they shed some of the radiation through metabolism and as they grew larger. Even so, they weren’t able to completely flush out all the contamination from their system.

“That’s a big ocean. To swim across it and still retain these radionuclides is pretty amazing,” Fisher said.

Pacific bluefin tuna are prized in Japan where a thin slice of the tender red meat prepared as sushi can fetch $24 per piece at top Tokyo restaurants. Japanese consume 80 per cent of the world’s Pacific and Atlantic bluefin tuna.

The real test of how radioactivity affects tuna populations comes this summer when researchers planned to repeat the study with a larger number of samples. Bluefin tuna that journeyed last year were exposed to radiation for about a month. The upcoming travelers have been swimming in radioactive waters for a longer period. How this will affect concentrations of contamination remains to be seen.

Now that scientists know that bluefin tuna can transport radiation, they also want to track the movements of other migratory species including sea turtles, sharks and seabirds.

Urgent Warning: Fukushima Estimate of Situation

Estimate of Situation about Fukushima, Japan, focusing on the immediate threat to the Northern Hemisphere emanating from the highly radioactive ruins of the 5 Fukushima nuclear reactors.

Natural Solutions Foundation, an international NGO (non-governmental organization), released a 27 minute public service Estimate of Situation about Fukushima, Japan focusing on the immediate threat to the Northern Hemisphere emanating from the highly radioactive ruins of the 5 Fukushima nuclear reactors.

Gen. Stubblebine’s prognosis is dire: “When the highly radioactive Spent Fuel Rods are exposed to air, there will be massive explosions releasing many times the amount or radiation released thus far. Bizarrely, they are stored three stories above ground in open concrete storage pools. Whether through evaporation of the water in the pools, or due to the inevitable further collapse of the structure, there is a severe risk.

“United States public health authorities agree that tens of thousands of North Americans have already died from the Fukushima calamity. When the final cataclysm occurs, sooner rather than later, the whole Northern Hemisphere is at risk of becoming largely uninhabitable.”
General Stubblebine details in his riveting video the amounts of radioactive materials that will be propelled across the Pacific and across the United States if the Fukushima reactor structures (especially Spent Fuel Pool Number 4) collapse. With over 15,000 ‘spent fuel rods’ on the site, the Fukushima reactors have accumulated one of the largest stockpiles of these dangerous, intensely radioactive materials on the planet. No remediation work is being done at the site; there is no official remedial planning or disaster preparation. No private remediation, or public discussion of the need for it, is permitted by the Government of Japan under its new suppression of nuclear discussion laws.

The Natural Solutions Foundation joins seventy Japanese NGOs(1) in calling upon the Secretary General of the United Nations and Prime Minister of Japan last month to coordinate emergency action to shore-up critical structures now at imminent risk of collapse. It has been variously estimated(2), that a relatively mild earthquake (i.e., 5.0 or greater on the Richter Scale) will collapse the previously damaged Spent Fuel Rod holding tank of Unit No. 4, containing 85 times the amount of radioactive Cesium137 contained in Chernobyl’s now-entombed reactor. An estimated 1Million Europeans are believed to have died as a direct result of that radiation emission following the nuclear explosion of Chernobyl.

The US Government’s statistics document an excess death rate of 20,000 US residents, mostly healthy infants, in the first 9 months following the multiple nuclear events at Fukushima. .
As a humanitarian, strategist, intelligence analyst, father and grandfather, General Bert understands that doing nothing is, quite simply, not an option.

Following his incisive Estimate of Situation, General Bert’s free public service video outlines four simple steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Please visit http://www.GeneralBert.com to access this urgent warning and subsequent updates without cost. And please share this link with all your circles of influence.

The Trustees of the Natural Solutions Foundation, the largest health freedom organization in the world, urge your participation in disseminating this message since the mainstream media has remained curiously silent in the United States on this massive increase in radiation. The lack of information is, however, a matter of State policy in Japan where it is now a felony offense to discuss negative aspects of either nuclear power or the Fukushima situation in particular.

You’ll Probably Accidentally Eat This Toxic Food Today

Ronnie Cummins with the Organic Consumers Association, Pamm Larry, founder of LabelGMOs.org and Dave Murphy, founder of Food Democracy Now, discuss the California Right to Know Campaign—a ballot initiative to get labeling for genetically engineered foods voted into law on November 6, 2012

Extending through May 26, a broad coalition of farmers, health groups, and organic food manufacturers, will attempt to raise one million dollars to support the California labeling initiative. Donations can be made online, via regular snail mail, and over the phone, and the first one million dollars raised during this Money Bomb Against Monsanto campaign will be matched by another million dollars!

The genetically engineered food industry is based on lies. Genetically engineered foods are NOT substantially equivalent to conventional foods. They do NOT produce increased yields. And they are NOT more nutritious. On the contrary, they’re substantially different from anything mankind has ever consumed before; hundreds of studies have demonstrated organic farming outproduces genetically engineered crops by as much as 100 to 1; and genetically engineered foods have been shown to be significantly devoid of valuable nutrients

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/05/15/california-gmo-… Internationally renowned natural health physician and Mercola.com founder Dr. Joseph Mercola together with Pam Larry, Northern California Director of LabelGMOs.org, Dave Murphy, founder of Food Democracy Now and Ronnie Cummins, Director, Organic Consumers Association, discuss about labeling GMO’s in giving the consumer the right to know and choose what type of food they will consume.

Recalls

After Eight Expansions, How Big is the Diamond Pet Foods Recall?

Update (May 29, 3:30 p.m. Eastern): U.S. Food and Drug Administration spokeswoman Laura Alvey has told Food Safety News that the Salmonella contamination found at Diamond’s Meta, Missouri plant is not from the same strain as that of the Gaston, South Carolina plant. The contamination at the Missouri plant comes from Salmonella Liverpool, while the South Carolina plant — connected to all products except those in the most recent recall expansion — has been contaminated by Salmonella Infantis.

Alvey also said that the Missouri plant has now been included in the FDA’s ongoing investigation into the Diamond Pet Foods Salmonella outbreak and recall.

This article was originally published before the FDA had named the Salmonella strain found at the Missouri plant.

With Diamond Pet Foods on May 18 announcing yet another expansion of its recall of dry pet foods, pet owners again consulted food labels and continued sharing stories of pet illnesses allegedly resulting from Salmonella-contaminated kibble. For some writers covering the recall, the story was already frustratingly familiar.

As the Christian Science Monitor noted days later, the addition of Diamond Naturals Small Breed Lamb & Rice formula was the recall’s eighth expansion, with it now encompassing at least nine brand names and numerous formulas.

This latest expansion also included the first contaminated product made at a facility in Meta, Missouri instead of the original facility linked to the outbreak in Gaston, South Carolina. Diamond also has a production facility in Lathrop, California.

On Tuesday, FDA spokeswoman Laura Alvey told Food Safety News that the contamination at the Missouri plant came from Salmonella Liverpool, not the Salmonella Infantis from the South Carolina plant that triggered the outbreak and recall.

Alvey went on to say that the Missouri plant was now included in the FDA’s ongoing investigation into Diamond.

Pet owners reporting illnesses worldwide

Pets are only rarely tested for gastrointestinal bacteria such as Salmonella, making it impossible to estimate the number ill from the outbreak. Regardless, the FDA does know of two clinically confirmed Salmonella infections in dogs from the same household where they were served a recalled brand.

On the day of the most recent recall expansion, the Calgary Herald in Alberta reported that two cats in a Montreal animal shelter died after eating recalled cat food. Around that same time, another human case was reported in Nova Scotia, bringing the confirmed human cases to 17: 15 in the U.S. and 2 in Canada.

Microbiologist and eFoodAlert author Phyllis Entis has been chronicling her readers’ stories on her website and has been contacted by readers in Ireland and France who reported sickening their dogs after feeding them Taste of the Wild, one of the recalled brands.

On May 21, the public health arm of the Singapore government released a consumer advisory on the recall. Four of the nine affected brands are sold in Singapore.

“This stuff is all around the world,” Entis said. “There are a lot of countries where this product might be, but Diamond — to the best of my knowledge — has not released a list of countries.”

On eFoodAlert, Entis compiled her own list of places Diamond products are likely distributed, which includes countries in Europe, Asia, Australia and South America.

“The sloppiest recall I’ve ever seen”

Since 2005, Susan Thixton has been writing about pet food problems in the U.S. on her website TruthAboutPetFood.com. She’s covered numerous pet food recalls in that time, including the melamine outbreak of 2007 that involved the recall of more than 90 brands.

But when it comes to disorganization, she said, Diamond’s recall surpasses them all.

“This has got to be the sloppiest recall I’ve ever seen,” she told Food Safety News.

From the initial one-brand recall on April 6 to the latest expansion, the Diamond recall has been plagued by hiccups such as corrections to production codes and best-by dates.

What’s more, the company seems to make — and then correct — the same mistakes with successive expansions. Thixton detailed these maneuvers on her website in a post titled “Sloppy, Sloppy, Sloppy.”

Chicken of the Sea Recalls Korean Oysters

Chicken of the Sea Internationalof San Diego, CA is recalling several product codes of oysters imported from Korea and sold under the Chicken of the Sea, Pacific Pearl and Ace of Diamonds brands.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with the canned oysters, and no other codes of oysters or any other Chicken of the Sea products are affected by the recall, which was based on findings by the FDA of unsanitary conditions in the processing of shellfish at specified plants in Korea.

Articles of Interest

Egg Standards Bill Introduced in Senate

Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) and a bipartisan group of seven other senators introduced a bill late last week to set federal housing standards for egg-laying hens, again sparking protest from both pork and beef producers, as well as other animal rights activists who are now calling it the “rotten egg bill.”

The measure, which mirrors a bill recently introduced in the House, is based on a landmark deal struck between the Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers, would double the space allowed to each of the nation’s approximately 280 million egg-laying hens, which HSUS has advocated for years, and also give the egg industry regulatory certainty across state lines.

The compromise has the support of American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), as well as several consumer groups and state egg associations, but it’s not clear whether the coalition will have a strong enough coalition to put it into law, especially since other powerful agricultural interests and some animal rights groups are actively fighting the proposal.

Facility Profiling: A Benefit or Putting Food Makers in the Cross Hairs?

Is voluntary submission a trial, or a precursor to mandated submission?

Opinion

FDA would like food/feed facilities to voluntarily submit additional profile information through the Food Facility Registration Module – and wants to know what you think.

In a Federal Register Notice, FDA announced the opportunity for public comment on the information collection provisions of FDA’s program of voluntary submission of food facility profile information and new electronic form (FDA 3797).

The voluntary profile information is intended to help FDA determine whether a firm is high-risk or non-high-risk, and, from that, determine the frequency at which the firm would be inspected. Additionally, FDA noted that submission would benefit a food facility by enabling FDA to prepare for an inspection in advance “through interaction with better-informed investigators and potentially reduced inspection time.”

Firms will be offered the opportunity to complete or update a food/feed facility profile after electronic registration with FDA and anytime they access the Food Facility Registration Module. Owners, operators, or agents in charge of domestic or foreign facilities that manufacture/process, pack, or hold food for human or animal consumption in the United States may also submit or update information at any time through a direct URL (to be provided by FDA).

• the products and hazards (e.g., biological, physical, chemical) and preventive control measures associated with those products, where either there is a regulation in place requiring identification of hazards and preventive control measures (e.g., seafood and juice), or the firm, as a matter of its own business practices, voluntarily identifies hazards and implements preventive control measures;

Video: Moment of deadly Italy earthquake caught on camera

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake has struck northern Italy with authorities reporting 15 dead. It comes a week after a 6.0-magnitude tremor hit the same region, killing seven and destroying hundreds of buildings. The video shows evacuees from the previous quake peering out of tents in disbelief as second quake strikes.

A 5.8-magnitude earthquake has struck northern Italy on Tuesday, May 29 with authorities reporting 15 dead. It comes a week after a 6.0-magnitude tremor hit the same region, killing seven and destroying hundreds of buildings.

Italy quake

A car is destroyed after an earthquake on May 29, 2012 in Cavezzo. As many as 10 people were reported killed when a strong earthquake rocked northeastern Italy on Tuesday, just days after another quake in the same region wrought death and destruction. AFP PHOTO / Pierre Teyssot

CAVEZZO, Italy – An earthquake killed 16 people and injured about 350 in northern Italy on Tuesday, spreading fear among thousands of residents living in tents after a similarly strong tremor in the same region flattened their homes nine days ago.

Rescuers were searching through the rubble of houses and warehouses in the Emilia-Romagna region, where several building sites had just reopened after the previous quake on May 20.

Officials said 16 people were confirmed dead, more than twice the number killed in the May 20 quake that, like Tuesday’s, had its epicentre near the city of Modena. The number of those forced to leave their homes doubled to 14,000.

Many residents ran out of buildings when they felt the 5.8-magnitude tremor, which hit shortly after 0700 GMT just as operations to rebuild the quake-struck region were under way.

“As we were coming down the stairs, we heard the sound of crumbling houses around us. There was a big cloud of dust,” said 72-year-old Giulio in Cavezzo, a badly damaged village about 30 km (20 miles) from Modena where three died.

Rescuers searched tirelessly for survivors despite initial operations being hampered by disruption to the mobile phone network and to the railway network around Bologna.

A woman was pulled alive from the debris of her house in Cavezzo after 12 hours searching, according to Sky Italia.

The quake was the most deadly to strike Italy since 2009 when a tremor partially destroyed the central city of L’Aquila, killing about 300 people and leaving thousands homeless.

With its streets deserted, Cavezzo looked like a ghost town. A shop in the centre still had fruit displayed on stalls outside in the street.

In a nearby empty coffee shop a half-eaten croissant was left on a plate on the bar and an apron lay on the floor.

“It’s a disaster, I’ve never seen anything like it. An endless series of very strong tremors after those of May 20, which had already pulled everything to its knees,” said a very shaken Stefano Draghetti, mayor of Cavezzo.

“We need a lot of help to restart, from those who can – the state, the European community.”

Italian media showed buildings and shopping malls shaking and collapsing under the force of the quake and ambulances racing across towns. Churches and factories were badly damaged.

In Medolla, also near the epicentre, an electromedical equipment plant collapsed, killing a worker. Rescuers were frantically searching for three other workers still believed to be under the rubble, a Reuters witness said.

“The situation is one of great fear and uncertainty,” said Salvatore Iannizzotto, provincial head for the Modena police.

“The population was becoming more relaxed and slowly moving back into their homes. They have now left their homes again.”

The civil protection service was setting up new emergency campsites to provide residents with shelter for the night.

QUAKE WOUNDS ITALY

The quake hit one of the most productive regions in a country struggling with a deep economic recession.

Farmers estimated the damage of the previous quake to agriculture in one of Italy’s most fertile areas at more than 200 million euros ($250 million).

Sports car maker Ferrari and motorcycle firm Ducati closed their plants in the region for safety reasons. The world’s top pasta-maker Barilla, based in Parma, evacuated a plant for 15 minutes but said production had not stopped. Italian bank BPER closed around 20 branches for safety reasons while medical products company Sorin said its plant in Mirabella had been damaged.

The quake was felt across northern and central Italy, including in the most populous northern city Milan. The area was hit by several large aftershocks, one of 5.6 magnitude

Schools and buildings were evacuated as far south as Florence. A soccer match between Italy and Luxembourg in Parma scheduled later on Tuesday was called off.

Emilia-Romagna, famed for its cured ham and mature Parmesan cheese, is in the middle of the Po plain, traditionally considered safer than other areas of seismic Italy.

Several historic buildings, some hit by the previous quake, suffered further damage.

In the town of San Felice sul Panaro whose imposing 14th-century Estense Castle was badly damaged in the quake just over a week ago, three workers were killed by a crumbling warehouse.

“The situation is very serious, some people are stuck under the rubble,” Alberto Silvestri, the town’s mayor, told Italian television.

Italian media also reported serious damage to the Baroque cathedral of Carpi and the Te Palace in Mantua, an architectural masterpiece from the Renaissance.

Prime Minister Mario Monti, whose cabinet is due to approve fresh emergency measures on Wednesday, tried to reassure the population in an impromptu news conference.

“I want to assure everyone that the state will do all that it must do, all that is possible to do, as fast as it can to guarantee the return to normality in a region so special, so important, so productive for Italy,” he said.

French President Francois Hollande’s office said France stood ready to provide Italy with any experts or logistical aid it might need. Greece was among the first nations to offer help.

A 3.8 magnitude quake was also felt in western Bulgaria on Tuesday, causing no casualties or serious damage, the National Geophysical Institute said. It had its epicentre near Pernik.

As the summer months approach, officials want to remind those who go out to Mt. Baker that they are skiing and snowboarding and camping on an active volcano. May is volcano awareness month, and Carolyn Driedger with the U.S. Geological Survey says the biggest threat from a Baker eruption would be volcanic mud flows. She says those who live in volcano hazard zones around Mt. Baker need to have a plan to get to higher ground. Driedger says officials are confident they will see some warning signs before an eruption on Mt. Baker. West of Baker, the towns of Glacier, Maple Falls, Deming, Everson and Sumas all lie in the pathway for eruption-related mud flows.

May 29. 2012 – COLOMBIA – Colombia warned Tuesday of a possible eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz volcano after it began rumbling and spewing gas, sending ashes onto cities and towns in the nearby coffee-growing region. The government’s geology and mining oversight institute Ingeominas said in a statement it raised the warning level to orange from yellow, which means an eruption is possible in days or weeks. The increased seismic activity began at around 3 a.m. local time (4 a.m. EDT). Civil aviation authority Aerocivil said operations have been suspended at the Manizales, Armenia, Cartago and Pereira airports, all in Colombia’s central-western coffee-growing region, due to visibility problems and concerns over aircraft engines getting clogged. This is the second time this year the warning level has been set at orange. It was raised to orange March 31, but brought back to yellow several days later as seismic activity declined. The 17,800-foot volcano, located west of Bogota, hasn’t erupted since the 1980s. An official at the Volcanology Observatory in Manizales, 16 miles northwest of the crater, said the city’s 360,000 residents have been able to see ash falling on the city since before dawn. In 1985, an eruption caused hot volcanic flows to melt the ice- and snow-covered summit area. This unleashed a cascade of debris down the volcano’s eastern slope, which wiped the town of Armero off the map, killing 25,000 people. Another 2,000 people were killed in nearby areas. –WSJ

Colombian volcanologists indicated that the likelihood of an eruption at the Nevado del Ruiz volcano has increased, after an earthquake Tuesday morning in cental Colombia. Local authorities have raised the alert level from yellow to orange following a report issued by the Manizales Volcanological and Seismological Observatory. An orange alert does not mean an eruption is imminent. Web cameras in the area “show the emission of ash,” which “has been felt in the area surrounding the volcano,” according to Seismologic and Volcanic Observation director Gloria Patricia Cortes, who also noted the impact on city of Manizales and municipality of Villamaria. Cortes said that relief agencies in the area are prepped for immediate action, in case of emergency. “The recommendation now is to use masks in the city of Manizales because of the persistent rain of ashes,” said Cortes, who also said that she did not expect a lava flow but did not rule out that the emission of ash could continue for some time. According to officials, small amounts of ash could be dispersed from the volcano to remote areas depending on wind direction and strength. The volcano has been fluctuating at high activity levels for the past several months and was lowered to alert level yellow earlier this month. The last eruption of the volcano in 1985 killed an estimated 25,000 people and destroyed the town of Armero.

Small earthquake swarm at Katla volcano during 28-29 May 2012 (Icelandic Met Office)

A swarm of 14 small to very small mostly very shallow quakes occurred at Katla volcano yesterday and today. Epicenter depths were reported between 0.1 and 12.2 km. Judging from the depth and magnitude of the quakes, the most likely cause for the seismic swarm are adjustments of the hydrothermal system under the icecap, and probably not magmatic intrusions (which would be possible indicators of a future new eruption).

The Vulcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Center (PVMBG) has raised the alert status of Mt. Soputan in Minahasa and Southeast Minahasa regencies in North Sulawesi to level 3 — meaning “standby” — from the previous level 2 (alert), following increasing levels of volcanic activity.

“Based on our observations, as of 3 p.m. on Monday, Mt. Soputan’s alert status was raised to level 3,” center head Surono said on Monday evening.

According to Surono, increasing activity had been detected since May 25, when the volcano spew out white smoke to heights of between 50 meters and 75 meters above the mountain’s peak.

The center has recorded dozens of different types of activity since then. The center’s highest alert status for volcanoes is level 4 (on guard).

Surono has called on local residents to stay beyond a radius of six kilometers from the volcano’s summit.

The center has also warned residents of the threat of a cold lava flood, urging people living near Ranowangko, Pentu, Lawian and Popang rivers to remain alert and aware.

The volcano’s last eruption occurred on July 3, 2011. It erupted 10 hours after its status was raised to alert, forcing local officials to close Sam Ratulangi Airport for a day.
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Epidemic Hazard/ Diseases

A 10-year-old Cambodian girl has died from bird flu, the World Health Organization said Monday, the country’s third fatality from the virulent disease this year. The child developed a fever and shortness of breath on May 20 and died on Sunday, the WHO said in a joint statement with the Cambodian health ministry. Hospital tests confirmed she had contracted the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. “There is evidence of recent deaths among poultry in the village and the patient prepared sick chicken for food prior to becoming sick,” the statement said. The girl, from southwestern Kampong Speu province, is the 21st person in Cambodia to become infected with the H5N1 virus since 2003. Nineteen of those cases have been fatal. The H5N1 strain has killed 357 people worldwide since 2003, according to WHO statistics.

Biohazard name:

A/H5N2

Biohazard level:

4/4 Hazardous

Biohazard desc.:

Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release.

Two people have been confirmed dead and 56 others admitted atNebbi hospital following the fresh outbreak of cholera disease in Nebbi district. The death of the two unidentfied victims and 56 patients who are admitted at Nebbi hospital brings to 17 the number of victims killed and more than 1,150 infected with cholera after the first case was reported in the district in March this year according to health official in the district. Kitts Obima, the Nebbi district health Educator said that the district is alarmed by the persistance outbreak of the disease arguing that cholera is persisting due to relaxity on the side of the community to have sanitary facilites at home and thier poor habits to responds on the cholera symptoms. When New Vision visited Nebbi hospital to ascertain the number of people infetced in the lastest outbreak in Nebbi Town concil on Monday (May, 28,2012) many of the victims mostly youths and children were seen lying with drip on thier connected to thier body at Nebbi hospital isolation ward.

Obima called on leaders in the district to enforce the use of sanitary facilities and educate the communities to avoid eating cold food , “According to public food act, food is purpose to be eaten indoor place but people still eat food in open places which exposes them at high risks of contracting cholera” he said. Cholera is an infection in the small intestine caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse, watery diarrhea and vomiting. Its transmission occurs primarily by drinking water or eating food that has been contaminated by the feces of an infected person. Obima said that the first case of cholera was reported in Akworo sub-county the district on March 2012. He explained that the worst hit sub-county has been Akworo, Panyimur, Parombo Pakwach sub-county which recorded a total of 15 death and the latest being Nebbi Town Council with over 56 cases reportedly admitted at Nebbi hospital Obima, however,said that drugs that district is still using the previous stocks which were delivered by the ministry and other humantarian organisation in the first outbreak.

He added that, the cholera sample have been taken to central public health’s laboratory for test for rapid responds. Mean while to avoid the further spread of the disease, local council leaders have banned the selling of food itmes at the road sides. In Nebbi Town council James Chombe Mucek , the Nebbi town council LC.3 chaiperson said that the council have temporaly suspended selling of food items in the street and open restaurant. He said the move was aimed to control the disease from futher spread by eating cold food. He also said that the council have formed cholera task force who would move door to door to check sanitary facilities like toilets, washing facilities in order to to combat the cholera the disease.

Biohazard name:

Cholerae Outbreak

Biohazard level:

3/4 Hight

Biohazard desc.:

Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.

“WEST MICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3) – People are buzzing over what could have possibly caused a loud boom and violent shaking last night and this morning throughout West Michigan.The reports came in from people in Calhoun, Branch and Kalamazoo Counties.People from all over say they felt and heard it, but Newschannel Three has only heard of one case of actual damage happening during the same time.John Nieuwenhuis, who lives in Oshtemo, says that he felt and heard the explosion, which shook his entire house.”Where the two trees are parallel and something completely scrapped both trees off at the same height and laid them to the west,” said Nieuwenhuis.Nieuwenhuis called the fire department but after extensively searching, they couldn’t find the source of an explosion. “I’ve never seen anything like this, we cut down trees, we log trees and what could have taken this down I have no idea,” said Nieuwenhuis.Newschannel Three tried to search into what might have caused the explosions but, it was a clear night and there was no earthquake activity reported anywhere in the Midwest.Air Traffic Control in Kalamazoo says no planes were in the area that might have broken the sound barrier.”

Environmental

ScienceDaily (May 28, 2012) — The nation’s food supply may be vulnerable to rapid groundwater depletion from irrigated agriculture, according to a new study by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and elsewhere.

The study, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, paints the highest resolution picture yet of how groundwater depletion varies across space and time in California’s Central Valley and the High Plains of the central U.S. Researchers hope this information will enable more sustainable use of water in these areas, although they think irrigated agriculture may be unsustainable in some parts.

“We’re already seeing changes in both areas,” said Bridget Scanlon, senior research scientist at The University of Texas at Austin’s Bureau of Economic Geology and lead author of the study. “We’re seeing decreases in rural populations in the High Plains. Increasing urbanization is replacing farms in the Central Valley. And during droughts some farmers are forced to fallow their land. These trends will only accelerate as water scarcity issues become more severe.”

Three results of the new study are particularly striking: First, during the most recent drought in California’s Central Valley, from 2006 to 2009, farmers in the south depleted enough groundwater to fill the nation’s largest human-made reservoir, Lake Mead near Las Vegas — a level of groundwater depletion that is unsustainable at current recharge rates.

Second, a third of the groundwater depletion in the High Plains occurs in just 4% of the land area. And third, the researchers project that if current trends continue some parts of the southern High Plains that currently support irrigated agriculture, mostly in the Texas Panhandle and western Kansas, will be unable to do so within a few decades.

California’s Central Valley is sometimes called the nation’s “fruit and vegetable basket.” The High Plains, which run from northwest Texas to southern Wyoming and South Dakota, are sometimes called the country’s “grain basket.” Combined, these two regions produced agricultural products worth $56 billion in 2007, accounting for much of the nation’s food production. They also account for half of all groundwater depletion in the U.S., mainly as a result of irrigating crops.

In the early 20th century, farmers in California’s Central Valley began pumping groundwater to irrigate their crops. Over time, groundwater levels dropped as much as 400 feet in some places. From the 1930s to ’70s, state and federal agencies built a system of dams, reservoirs and canals to transfer water from the relatively water-rich north to the very dry south. Since then, groundwater levels in some areas have risen as much as 300 feet. In the High Plains, farmers first began large-scale pumping of groundwater for crop irrigation in the 1930s and ’40s; but irrigation greatly expanded in response to the 1950s drought. Since then, groundwater levels there have steadily declined, in some places more than 150 feet.

Scanlon and her colleagues at the U.S. Geological Survey and the Université de Rennes in France used water level records from thousands of wells, data from NASA’s GRACE satellites, and computer models to study groundwater depletion in the two regions.

GRACE satellites monitor changes in Earth’s gravity field which are controlled primarily by variations in water storage. Byron Tapley, director of the university’s Center for Space Research, led the development of the GRACE satellites, which recently celebrated their 10th anniversary.

Scanlon and her colleagues suggested several ways to make irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley more sustainable: Replace flood irrigation systems (used on about half of crops) with more efficient sprinkle and drip systems and expand the practice of groundwater banking — storing excess surface water in times of plenty in the same natural aquifers that supply groundwater for irrigation. Groundwater banks currently store 2 to 3 cubic kilometers of water in California, similar to or greater than storage capacities of many of the large surface water reservoirs in the state. Groundwater banks provide a valuable approach for evening out water supplies during climate extremes ranging from droughts to floods.

For various reasons, Scanlon and other experts don’t think these or other engineering approaches will solve the problem in the High Plains. When groundwater levels drop too low to support irrigated farming in some areas, farmers there will be forced to switch from irrigated crops such as corn to non-irrigated crops such as sorghum, or to rangeland. The transition could be economically challenging because non-irrigated crops generate about half the yield of irrigated crops and are far more vulnerable to droughts.

“Basically irrigated agriculture in much of the southern High Plains is unsustainable,” said Scanlon

The Cornucopia Institute is challenging what it calls a “conspiracy” between corporate agribusiness interests and the USDA that has increasingly facilitated the use of questionable synthetic additives and even dangerous chemicals in organic foods. In its new white paper, The Organic Watergate, Cornucopia details violations of federal law, ignoring congressional intent, that has created a climate of regulatory abuse and corporate exploitation.

When Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 it set up an independent advisory panel, the National Organic Standards Board (NOSB) that, uniquely, has statutory power. Any synthetic input or ingredient used in organic farming or food production must be reviewed by the NOSB to assure that it is not a threat to human health or the environment.

At the NOSB meeting in Savannah, Georgia last year, a giant Dutch-based multi-national conglomerate, Royal DSM N.V./Martek Biosciences, partnered with the nation’s largest dairy processor, Dean Foods, to muscle through approval of DHA/ARA synthetic nutrient oils. The additives, derived from genetically mutated algae and soil fungus, are processed with petrochemical solvents, grown in genetically engineered corn, and formulated for use in infant formula, dairy and other products with a myriad of other unreviewed synthetic ingredients.

“All these elements of the Martek Biosciences products, along with outstanding safety and efficacy concerns, made them inappropriate and illegal in organics,” said Charlotte Vallaeys, Director of Food and Farm Policy for Cornucopia. “So after witnessing this travesty, we decided to take a closer look at how other synthetic additives have been approved for use in organic foods in the past.”

What The Cornucopia Institute investigation found is disturbing to many organic industry stakeholders. The Cornucopia report charges the USDA with “stacking” the NOSB with agribusiness executives that all too often have “sold out” the interests of organic farmers and consumers.

“The organic community came together and actually asked the government, in order to maintain a level playing field and organic integrity, to regulate our industry,” said Mark A. Kastel, Codirector of The Cornucopia Institute. “How many other industries have ever asked the federal government for tough regulations and enforcement?”

In order to placate concerns of federal involvement in the nascent organic industry, Congress specifically earmarked the majority of the 15 seats on the NOSB for farmers, consumers, scientists and environmentalists as a way to balance the power of commercial interests involved in organic food manufacturing, marketing and retail sales.

“Many in the industry generally thought this system of shared power, with regard to synthetics in organics, was working until we received a wake-up call at the NOSB’s meeting late last year in Savannah, Georgia,” Kastel noted.

Since the NOSB was not constituted by Congress to be a scientific body, it relies on legally mandated technical reviews, by impartial scientists, of any synthetic materials that are petitioned for use in organics.

Cornucopia found that a small handful of scientists, working for corporate agribusiness, supplied the “independent” analyses to the board. In one example, an executive for Ralston Purina/Beech Nut, Dr. Richard Theuer, authored 45 of 50 technical reviews during a two-year period in the 1990s.

As a case study Cornucopia used the food ingredient carrageenan, a stabilizer and thickening agent that was initially approved for use in organic food in the mid-1990s. Theuer, and two other agribusiness-related food scientists, reviewed carrageenan without emphasizing its impacts on human health and the environment. Carrageenan, derived from seaweed, has been widely used in conventional foods for decades.

“Carrageenan is a well-documented inflammatory agent that has been found, in thousands of experiments in human cells and animals, to cause harmful effects, and low molecular weight carrageenan has been recognized by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer and the National Research Council of the United States as a possible human carcinogen,” said Dr. Joanne Tobacman, a leading researcher on carrageenan and its human health impacts at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Low molecular weight, or “degraded,” carrageenan has been found, by industry research, to contaminate food-grade carrageenan. Other research has indicated that digestion, heating, bacterial action, and mechanical processing can increase the amount of degraded carrageenan obtained from higher molecular weight carrageenan. “Due to its unique chemical characteristics, there is no safe form of carrageenan,” Dr. Tobacman added.

“Those of us in the industry, who are committed to the value of wholesome, nutritious foods that has been the hallmark of the organic industry, need the NOSB and the USDA to carefully and impartially review synthetic ingredients like carrageenan,” said Michael Potter, President of Eden Foods, a Clinton, Michigan based manufacturer long viewed as an organic leader.

In an effort to remediate this ongoing scandal, in a letter to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, Cornucopia demanded that one of the newest appointees to the board, an executive at the giant California berry producer, Driscolls, be removed since she was placed in a slot Congress reserved for an individual who “owns or operates an organic farming operation.”

“We have seen the USDA, in the past, appoint an executive from General Mills, as an example, to a consumer slot on the board. This gross scoffing at the law Congress passed as a safeguard against corporate domination needs to end right now,” Kastel said. “We expected better from the Obama administration. Either the USDA will immediately remediate this problem or we will defend the organic law in federal court.”

Cornucopia’s white paper documents the long-term abuse of congressional intent, by stacking the board with agribusiness operatives, an illegal practice that has stretched over the past three administrations.

Another request in Cornucopia’s letter to Secretary Vilsack was to reform the selection of independent scientists reviewing synthetics in organics, stating that the industry needs an impartial board and the board needs truly impartial expert advisors.

“I wish I was making this up, but one of the newest contractors to fulfill this review function is The Organic Center, the nonprofit offshoot of the Organic Trade Association, an agribusiness lobby group,” Kastel added. “This is the proverbial fox watching the organic chicken coop.”

The Organic Center’s board is chaired by Mark Retzloff, President of Aurora Dairy, a giant factory farm milk producer bottling private-label organic milk for Walmart, Costco and Target. Aurora was found by the USDA in 2007 to have “willfully” violated 14 tenets of federal organic law – likely the largest scandal in organic industry history.

Other members of the Organic Center’s leadership reads like a Who’s Who of giant corporations involved in organics, including four individuals associated with Dean Foods and their WhiteWave division (Horizon and Silk).

“The Organic Center board members have worked, over the years, for many of the very companies seeking approval for use of synthetics in organic food,” noted Cornucopia’s Vallaeys. “Talk about a conflict of interest.”

Despite these problems, Cornucopia’s report is bullish on organics and hopeful that the situation at the USDA can be turned around. There are fewer than 300, mostly benign, non-organic and synthetic compounds that have been approved for use in organics. That number is dwarfed by the many thousands of chemicals used in conventional food production, many of them highly toxic and carcinogenic.

“We implore consumers not to reject organics because a handful of corporations have acted recklessly and the USDA has failed to do their legally mandated job. Organic farmers, and their ethical processing partners, need your support now more than ever,” Kastel added. “And health conscious families deserve authentic organic food.”

The Cornucopia Institute is collecting signed proxies, downloadable from their website’s home page, asking organic industry stakeholders, including farmers and consumers, to sign the proxy and join in the demand that the USDA operate the organic program legally.

The growing dispute over synthetic ingredients is likely to be a hot topic at the next meeting of the National Organic Standards Board, set for May 22-25 in Albuquerque, NM.

“We know that carrageenan is up for review at this meeting and we hope the NOSB will revisit their controversial decision on Martek’s DHA/ARA. We urge the board to take this opportunity to reinforce consumer confidence in the organic label,” said Kastel.

About the Cornucopia Institute

The Cornucopia Institute is engaged in educational activities supporting the ecological principles and economic wisdom underlying sustainable and organic agriculture. Through research and investigations on agricultural and food issues, The Cornucopia Institute provides needed information to family farmers, consumers, stakeholders involved in the good food movement, and the media.

Swiss chemical maker Syngenta’s agreement to pay $105 million to settle a nearly 8-year-old lawsuit over one of its popular agricultural herbicides could help reimburse nearly 2,000 community water systems that have had to filter the chemical from its drinking water, a plaintiffs’ attorneys said Friday, May 25.

The proposed deal, announced Friday by Syngenta, must be approved by a federal judge in southern Illinois, where community water systems from at least a half-dozen states have sought to have the company reimburse them for filtering weed-killing atrazine from their supplies.

As part of the deal, some 1,887 community water systems serving more than 52 million Americans may be eligible to make a claim, said Stephen Tillery, the St. Louis attorney behind the class-action lawsuit.

Syngenta said it agreed to settle the matter “to end the business uncertainty” and avoid further legal costs. Under the settlement, the company will continue to sell atrazine to U.S. corn growers and denies any liability linked to the chemical, which Syngenta said is used in more than 60 countries and has been marketed in the U.S. since 1959.

“This settlement is good for Syngenta and the farmers who depend on atrazine, as well as Syngenta’s retailers, distributors, partners, and others who have been inconvenienced by this ongoing and burdensome litigation for almost eight years,” Syngenta said.

Cyber Space

Stuxnet x20: Massive cyber spy virus ‘Flame’ hits Iran, Israel

A powerful data-snatching virus targeting computers in Iran, Israel and other Middle Eastern countries has been discovered by Russian experts. The worm has been used for years for what seems to be state-sponsored cyber espionage.

A new kind of malware that is more sophisticated and damaging than the notorious Stuxnet and Duqu worms is likely being deployed by a nation state, say the cybersecurity firms that uncovered it.

“Duqu and Stuxnet raised the stakes in the cyberbattles being fought in the Middle East, but now we’ve found what might be the most sophisticated cyberweapon yet unleashed,” wrote analyst Alexander Gostev in a blog post on the website of Kaspersky Lab Monday.

The worm, which has variously been dubbed Flame, Flamer or SkyWiper, is able to mine a vast array of data from infected machines by:

Surveying network traffic.

Taking screenshots, including in instant messaging programs.

Recording audio conversations via a computer’s internal microphone.

Collecting passwords.

Intercepting keyboard actions

Gleaning information from devices connected to the infected machine by Bluetooth.

Scanning hard drives for specific file extensions or content.

Transmitting data to servers that control the malware

“Flame is one of the most complex threats ever discovered,” Gostev wrote.

It far surpasses Stuxnet and Duqu, two worms behind cyberattacks against technology related to Iran’s nuclear energy program, both in size – the program used to deploy it is 20 MB versus about 500 KB – and in its capability to steal information in so many different ways.

“It’s a complete attack tool kit designed for general cyber-espionage purposes,” writes Gostev.

7 countries hit

Like other viruses, it is able to replicate across a local network and removable devices such as USB sticks and portable drives and is controlled through a series of command-and-control servers around the world, which can also remotely remove every trace of the worm.

Just how it initially enters a computer is not yet known.

Kaspersky Lab discovered the worm, codenamed Worm.Win32.Flame, while carrying out work for the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations agency, which had asked it to try to trace malware that was deleting sensitive information from computers in several countries in the Middle East.

Gostev said his company is still analysing the malware but that it is certain it was deployed in August 2010 and has been circulating since around February or March 2010 and possibly in earlier versions before that.

It has ruled out the possibility that the malware was created by hacktivists or cybercriminals because its intention is not to steal money, its architecture is vastly more complex than that used by hackers and its targets have been confined to several countries in the Middle East and Africa.

The company has concluded that it is likely the work of a nation state.

Kaspersky has so far identified seven countries that have been affected by Flame attacks:

Iran (189 targets)

Israel and Palestine (98 targets)

Sudan (32 targets)

Syria (30 targets)

Lebanon (18 targets)

Saudi Arabia (10 targets)

Egypt (5 targets)

Variety of targets

So far, there doesn’t seem to be a pattern to the types of targets attacked. Individuals, educational institutions and state-related organizations have all been hit, Gostev said.

“From the initial analysis, it looks like the creators of Flame are simply looking for any kind of intelligence – emails, documents, messages, discussions inside sensitive locations, pretty much everything,” Gostev writes. “We have not seen any specific signs indicating a particular target, such as the energy industry.”

Iran’s nuclear energy infrastructure was one of the targets of the Stuxnet cyberattack in 2010, so there will likely be suspicions that the newly identified worm might be deployed in similar ways.

The Stuxnet worm specifically targeted Siemens software and equipment, which is the basis of Iran’s uranium-enrichment infrastructure, and did significant damage to Iran’s nuclear capabilities.

Cybersecurity experts suspect it was created by Israeli or U.S. programmers at the behest of intelligence agencies in those countries.

Whistle Blowers

NSA & DOJ Whistleblowers Talk Whistleblowing in America

From the Majority Report, live M-F 12 noon EST and via daily podcast at http://Majority.FM:
NSA whistle-blower Thomas Drake and Jesselyn Radack, DOJ whistle-blower, on the government’s intimidation and personal destruction of whistle-blowers. The Espionage Act, secret signing statements and how Obama has outdone Bush in squashing informants. Radack is also Drake’s attorney, Director of National Security and Human Rights with the Government Accountability Project and author of TRAITOR: The Whistleblower and the “American Taliban”. Drake was awarded the Ridenhour Prize for Truth-Telling in 2011.

Bradley Manning, the soldier accused of being behind the biggest leak of state secrets in U.S. history, is being denied a fair trial because the army is withholding from him crucial information that might prove his innocence or reduce his sentence, his defense team is arguing.

With Manning’s court-martial approaching in September, his legal team has released details of what they claim is a shocking lack of diligence on the part of the military prosecutors in affording him his basic constitutional rights.

The stakes are high, with Manning facing possible life imprisonment for a raft of charges that include “aiding the enemy.”

Manning’s main civilian lawyer, David Coombs, has filed a motion with the military court in Fort Meade, Maryland, that sets out a catalogue of delays and inconsistencies in the army’s handling of the case.

In particular, he claims the government has failed to disclose key evidence that could help Manning defend himself against the charges.

Source: Raw Story

HIGHLIGHTS

Almost two years after Manning was arrested, the military has not yet completed a search even of its own files to see if there is any material beneficial to the defense – -as it is legally obliged to do. care2.com

Manning faces 22 charges relating to the transfer of a massive trove of U.S. state secrets from military computers to the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks. The Guardian

The leaks included video footage of a U.S. helicopter attack on a group of civilians in Baghdad, war logs from Iraq and Afghanistan and hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. embassy cables from around the world. The Guardian

He was arrested in May 2010 in a military base outside Baghdad, where he was working as an intelligence analyst, and has been in custody ever since. The Guardian

For several months after his arrest Bradley Manning was held in a high security prison where the detention conditions were fairly harsh and caused international concern. It was only after a number of prominent academics, legal scholars and political figures, including a British MP, signed a letter of protest that he was transferred to a medium-security jail.

The Julian Assange Show: Occupy Movement (E7)

The Occupy movement has united hundreds of thousands across the world to fight social and economic inequality. In the latest edition of Assange’s very own interview programme Julian Assange meets with prominent Occupy activists who say their collective efforts target global institutions.

Anarchists in Britain “don’t want rich tourists,” they want “civil war.” As the London Olympics draw nearer, those flying the black flag are going for gold in sabotage.

On the eve of the Olympic Games, the Federazione Anarchica Informale (FAI) seems fired up by unprecedented security measures being taken by British police. The British cell of the Italian anarchist group finds the “escalating police state frankly offensive.”

In line with their ideological convictions, the Games set for July are viewed as a rightful cause to act.

“We have no inhibition to use guerrilla activity to hurt the national image and paralyze the economy however we can. Because simply, we don’t want rich tourists – we want civil war,” reads a statement on their website.

The same very statement has been used to justify a rash of recent offences currently being investigated by UK police.

Last Tuesday, railway services were severely disrupted in Bristol, a prominent city in England’s south-west, after cables were set on fire. The perpetuators had to remove protective concrete slabs to access the lines.

It followed an attack on April 11, when several police stations in the same area were forced off the air. A police radio broadcasting mast on Dundry Hill was also damaged.

The FAI statement said it “specifically chose” targets in Bristol as the Ministry of Defense has located several installations nearby. A local business park of “military industry companies” such as Raytheon, Thales and QinetiQ can also be found there.

“If they are serious about trying to disrupt the Olympics by using simple techniques such as these, they are capable of causing utter havoc,” admits a private sector security consultant.

The Olympics security bill tops £1 billion ($ 1.6 billion), with the Royal Air Force in London’s airspace promising to shoot down passenger jets if required. Troops armed with surface-to-air missiles and warships will also be in place to do battle on the Thames. Still, most of this is to prevent Al Qaeda-style terrorist attacks, not “a low-intensity war” as promised by the FAI.

Sabotaging UK transport system during July games, especially at another end of the country, has the potential of severely hampering travel during a critical period. But the FAI could go further than that, as they are also known for sending letter bombs to officials and carrying out drive-by attacks. In a recent instance, two motorcyclists shot a chief executive of a nuclear power company in the kneecaps in the Italian city of Genoa a fortnight ago.

Politics and Legislation

DemocracyNow.org – Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports from Egypt where protests erupted last night after final results were announced in the country’s first-ever competitive presidential election. The top two candidates in the first round of the race are Mohamed Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, and Ahmed Shafik, the last prime minister under Hosni Mubarak — who was ousted in a popular uprising 15 months ago. “[Shafik] speaks the language of Mubarak’s regime and what that means is the retention of broad discretionary powers given to the executive and given to security forces, a very strong role for Security Agency involvement whether the intelligence services or Ministry of Interior Security agencies to ensure stability and control over protests, which as far as he is concerned, are the source of instability,” says Heba Morayef of Human Rights Watch. Morsi and Shafik will face each other in a runoff vote set to begin June 16. Special thanks to Democracy Now! video producer Hany Massoud.

London – The judicial inquiry into Britain’s phone hacking scandal was set to hear testimony on Monday from Tony Blair, a former prime minister who sought the endorsement of Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers but once described the press as “feral.”

Mr. Blair’s appearance may, paradoxically, offer welcome relief for Prime Minister David Cameron, switching attention from the close relationship between Mr. Murdoch and the current government to the tycoon’s ties to its Labour Party predecessor.

For much of last week, the judicial inquiry headed by Lord Justice Sir Brian Leveson sought to probe what seemed a cozy relationship between the Murdoch empire and the office of Culture Minister Jeremy Hunt at a time when Mr. Murdoch’s News Corporation was seeking to acquire full ownership of BSkyB, Britain’s biggest satellite broadcaster.

Mr. Hunt, who was the minister overseeing the bid, has been depicted as favorable to the takeover at a time when his role required impartiality. He is to testify before the Leveson inquiry on Thursday.

The $12 billion bid was abandoned last year as the phone hacking scandal broke over parts of the Murdoch media outpost in Britain.

In Mr. Blair’s case, the ties date to 1990s when Mr. Murdoch’s top-selling tabloid, The Sun, swung its support behind Mr. Blair’s Labour Party before the 1997 general election and later took credit for the Labour victory. Two years before the election, Mr. Blair, then leader of the opposition, flew to an Australian island to address News Corporation executives as the Labour Party sought to reverse a hostile relationship with the press.

One of Mr. Blair’s former close aides and allies, Lord Peter Mandelson, told the Leveson inquiry last week that it was “arguably the case” that the relationship between Mr. Murdoch, Mr. Blair and his successor, Gordon Brown “became closer than was wise.”The bonds endured: Mr. Blair was reported in the British media to have acted as godfather to one of Mr. Murdoch’s ‘s children in 2010.

While his government took power on a huge wave of popularity, Mr. Blair’s close alliance with former President Bush in the Iraq war and accusations that he had misled Britons about the conflict contributed to a gradual souring of his relationship with newspapers.

Shortly before he left office in 2007, he told an audience: “The fear of missing out means today’s media, more than ever before, hunts in a pack. In these modes it is like a feral beast, just tearing people and reputations to bits. But no one dares miss out.”

He also quoted a past prime minister, Stanley Baldwin, who berated the news media for having “power without responsibility – the prerogative of the harlot through the ages,” a charge that borrowed from Kipling.

Shortly before the 2010 general election, in which Mr. Cameron came to power as head of a coalition government with the junior Liberal Democrats, The Sun abandoned Labour to swing behind Mr. Cameron’s Conservatives.

Three parties quit Nepal’s Maoist-led government on Monday as the Himalayan republic slipped deeper into crisis after the prime minister called elections following the failure to agree on a new constitution aimed at ending years of instability.

Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has called for Nov 22 elections to resolve the constitutional impasse, sparking a backlash from politicians and Nepalis who have seen the country lurch from one crisis to the next after a civil war ended in 2006.

With political rivals calling for the prime minister’s resignation, the desertion of three parties from his coalition may force Bhattarai to step down, but it is not likely to derail fresh elections.

However, the political row could trigger months of street protests and violence in one of the world’s poorest countries, wedged between India and China.

Security forces in Kathmandu remained on “high alert” after clashes between protesters and police injured more than a dozen people over the weekend. The streets were quiet in the capital on Monday, which was a public holiday.

But protesters took to the streets again in southern pockets of the country, angry at the ongoing deadlock.

“Political parties are not interested in a constitution. They simply want power and money for themselves and don’t care about us,” said Bal Bahadur Lama, a 63-year-old laborer in the Nepali capital.

Bhattarai is Nepal’s fifth prime minister since the end of the civil war, which killed more than 16,000 people and ended the rule of a centuries-old monarchy.

Efforts for a new constitution have been scotched by demands for the country to be divided into states along ethnic lines, which triggered violent protests in recent weeks and saw ethnic groups stage demonstrations outside the parliament building.

The call for new elections prompted three smaller allies of the Maoist-led government to quit on Monday morning.

“The government has no constitutional or political legitimacy to hold new elections,” he told Reuters.

Critics accuse the Maoists, whose guerrilla army fought against the monarchy during the war, of using the elections as a cynical ploy to remain in power.

Prolonged instability in Nepal, with immense potential to generate hydro-electric power could have regional implications as energy-hungry China and India could compete to influence an unstable neighbor, dependent on aid and tourism.

Economy

It happened again yesterday morning. There was an accident on the Schuykill Expressway so I had the pleasure of navigating through the 30 Blocks of Squalor, again. After having made at least 25 posts about the 30 Blocks of Squalor over the years, I keep thinking I’ve run out of things to say. But it seems to be a never ending treasure trove of insights about our society and the people who live in this country. It was a particularly grey day in Philadelphia with a dreary overcast and intermittent rain. It seemed fitting for this trek through the slowly decaying landscape leading to my workplace in West Philly. I’ve talked previously about the stretch of highway leading to the 30 Blocks of Squalor. It’s called West Chester Pike (Route 3) and it cuts through Delaware County where I grew up. It cuts through Havertown, Haverford, Drexel Hill, and Upper Darby and eventually spits you out at 69th Street, where I’ve previously detailed the flash mob of savages rampaging through the Sears stealing everything in sight (all caught on surveillance cameras to be shown on a future reality TV show). In a shocking turn of events, Sears decided to later close this retail establishment.

The 30 minute excursion along West Chester Pike and then the 30 Blocks of Squalor (Chestnut St from 69th St to 39th St) is like traveling through Dante’s nine circles of hell. Every mile leads you deeper and deeper into the abyss. My observations along this route are of a country in a slow methodical steady decline that has been underway for decades and shows no signs of abating.

The neighborhoods and towns along West Chester Pike were occupied by the rising middle class during the 1950′s, 60′s and 70′s. These towns were where blue collar middle class families built a life and raised their families. The fathers worked in factories, refineries, schools, power plants and thousands of other productive enterprises. Americans made stuff back then. Most wives stayed home and raised the three or four children in the small brick row homes or small detached singles that dotted the landscape. These neighborhoods were entirely white and most were church going. Most of the adults had not graduated college, but they were still able to move up the economic ladder through hard work, saving, and living within their means. Their children were guaranteed an even better life if they studied hard, went to college, and got an office job as an accountant, engineer, marketing executive, or in some other promising profession.

This progression began to transform into regression in the 1980s and the slow steady descent has picked up speed. There is now a grey pallor that seems to engulf this once thriving corridor. The houses that were built in the 1950s and 1960s and kept up by middle class families that took pride in their neighborhoods have been deteriorating for years. The homes are in disrepair. The bricks have grown dingy from years of pollution buildup and lack of power washing. Porches and awnings are sagging. The woodwork hasn’t seen a paint brush since the 1970s. Trash is strewn in the streets. Gardens are no longer tended to. Lawns are overgrown with weeds. The inhabitants of these neighborhoods either don’t care or don’t have the financial wherewithal to maintain their homes. On the current trajectory, these once proud neighborhoods will eventually resemble the 30 Blocks of Squalor.

DemocracyNow.org – Two years after directing the Academy Award-winning documentary, “Inside Job,” filmmaker Charles Ferguson returns with a new book, “Predator Nation: Corporate Criminals, Political Corruption, and the Hijacking of America.” Ferguson explores why no top financial executives have been jailed for their role in the nation’s worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. We also discuss Larry Summers and the revolving door between academia and Wall Street as well as the key role Democrats have played in deregulating the financial industry. According to Ferguson a “predatory elite” has “taken over significant portions of economic policy and the political system and also, unfortunately, major portions of the economics discipline.”

Keiser Report: Asymmetric Accounting (E294)

In this episode, Max Keiser and co-host, Stacy Herbert, discuss ‘asymmetric accounting,’ flatulent dark market clubs in austerity London and the $72 trillion claim against Limewire, while President Obama settles for $26 billion for widescale, systemic mortgage fraud. In the second half of the show Max talks to Jan Skoyles of TheRealAsset.co.uk about her campaign to Buy Britain’s Gold Back.

Dewey and Lebeouf Bankruptcy Biggest Law Firm Collapse in US History

Dewey and Lebeouf, a crippled law firm has made history as the biggest collapse of a law firm in U.S history. The firm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday night, and will seek approval to liquidate its business after failing to find a merger partner.

Dewey is one of the largest law firms in the U.S, and was hit by the loss of the vast majority of its roughly 300 partners to other firms amid concerns about compensation and a heavy debt load. But employees had been warned at the beginning of the month that there was in fact a chance the firm could shut down.

The firm is expected to keep around 90 employees to assist in the liquidation over the next few months. Dewey has stated there was a number of reasons that caused the company’s ultimate demise, including partnership compensation arrangements, capitol expenses and compensation expectations.

Dewy has now already terminated 433 of its 533 New York employees, and the firm will now go down in history as the biggest collapse of a law firm in US history.

Growing numbers of older Americans are spending their retirement years in poverty, according to a recent Employee Benefit Research Institute study. The proportion of older people living below the poverty line has been growing steadily since 2005, and many of those people are falling into poverty as they age and spend down their savings.

Poverty rates for people ages 65 to 74 climbed from 7.9 percent in 2005 to 9.4 percent in 2009, according to the EBRI analysis of University of Michigan health and retirement study data. For older retirees ages 75 to 84, there was an even steeper increase, from 7.6 percent to 10.7 percent over the same time period. But it’s the oldest retirees who are the most likely to live in poverty: 14.6 percent did so in 2009.

Many older Americans are falling into poverty as they age. In 2009, the most recent year included in the study, 6 percent of those age 85 older were new entrants in poverty, up from 4.6 percent in 2005. And while 3.3 percent of people ages 75 to 84 fell newly into poverty in 2005, that number increased to 5.6 percent by 2009.

One of the biggest drivers of poverty in old age is failing health and the associated medical costs. Most retirees living below the poverty line (70 percent) have suffered acute health conditions such as cancer, lung disease, heart problems, or stroke, compared with 48 percent for those above the poverty line, according to health and retirement study data. And almost all senior citizens living in poverty (96 percent) have some sort of health condition, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, psychological problems, or arthritis, versus 61.7 percent of retirees with incomes above the poverty line.

“Medical expenditures go up for the elderly as they age and medical expenses have been rising over the past decade very rapidly,” says Sudipto Banerjee, a research associate at EBRI and author of the report. “A lot of people have to move to nursing homes, and nursing homes are very expensive. People who live there, they lose their income and assets very quickly.”

Many people also spend down their retirement savings too quickly, especially during recessions. “As people age, personal savings and pension account balances are depleted,” says Banerjee. “Also, the rising poverty rates noted correspond to the two economic recessions that occurred during the last decade. I would expect that as the economy does better, the rates will go down.”

Comment: Alas, the economy is not doing better. As medical expenses have continued to rise and interest rates have remained at virtually zero for the last four years, we can only assume a very sharp increase in the rate of poverty among the elderly since 2009.

Once you have spent your nest egg, your only remaining source of income is likely to be Social Security. Social Security payments are based on your earnings during your 35 highest earning years in the workforce. Those who didn’t work for 35 years get smaller payments because zeros are included in the average.

Poverty rates for women were nearly double that of men in almost all years between 2001 and 2009. In 2009, poverty rates were 7 percent for men and 13 percent for women. And both men and women who are single have significantly higher poverty rates than married couples. When one spouse dies, the total Social Security benefit received by the household often decreases.

The Census Bureau reports that 9 percent of people age 65 and older lived below the poverty threshold in 2010. But there is an incredible amount of geographic diversity in poverty rates, ranging from over 25 percent in Opelousas-Eunice, La., and Gallup, N.M., to less than 2 percent in Pocatello, Idaho, Helena, Mont., and Ames, Iowa.

A recent Urban Institute study predicts that poverty rates for people at age 67 are likely to decline in the future. The analysis projects that 7 percent of Depression-era babies are expected to live in poverty at age 67, compared with 6.1 percent of late baby boomers and 5.7 percent of Generation Xers. However, retirement poverty is expected to increase for people without advanced education. For example, the study predicts that retirement poverty rates for high-school dropouts could increase from 13.5 percent among Depression-era babies to 24.9 percent for the oldest baby boomers.

Older retirees may have few opportunities to pull themselves out of poverty once they have crossed that threshold. The elderly may not have many opportunities for employment, and could be limited by health issues.

The Urban Institute expects retirement income inequality to increase dramatically over time. The study found that among Depression-era babies, the median income in the top income quintile will be 7.5 times higher than in the bottom income quintile. For Generation Xers, the retirement income gap will increase to a factor of 10.4. “More income for boomers and Generation Xers is from retirement accounts and less from defined-benefit pensions, and a larger share of income will be from earnings,” says Barbara Butrica, senior research associate at the Urban Institute and coauthor of the report. “If we look at their [retirement income] replacement rates, Generation Xers and boomers are projected to be significantly worse off on a relative basis.”

Slaughter Slant: Houla massacre sparks media blame-game

The most gruesome episode in Syria’s uprising is quickly turning into a PR battle, as each side, and their allies, portion blame for the slaughter in Houla. Just four days after the murders of over a hundred men, women and children – the media has been flooded with images furthering one, or the other agenda.

Commenting on the BBC’s blunder with the Iraq picture, journalist and human rights investigator Keith Harmon Snow says there’s simply no way it could have been posted by mistake.

The BBC is facing criticism after it accidentally used a picture taken in Iraq in 2003 to illustrate the senseless massacre of children in Syria.

Photographer Marco di Lauro said he nearly “fell off his chair” when he saw the image being used, and said he was “astonished” at the failure of the corporation to check their sources.

The picture, which was actually taken on March 27, 2003, shows a young Iraqi child jumping over dozens of white body bags containing skeletons found in a desert south of Baghdad.

It was posted on the BBC news website today under the heading “Syria massacre in Houla condemned as outrage grows”.

The caption states the photograph was provided by an activist and cannot be independently verified, but says it is “believed to show the bodies of children in Houla awaiting burial”.

A BBC spokesman said the image has now been taken down.

Mr di Lauro, who works for Getty Images picture agency and has been published by newspapers across the US and Europe, said: “I went home at 3am and I opened the BBC page which had a front page story about what happened in Syria and I almost felt off from my chair.

“One of my pictures from Iraq was used by the BBC web site as a front page illustration claiming that those were the bodies of yesterday’s massacre in Syria and that the picture was sent by an activist.

“Instead the picture was taken by me and it’s on my web site, on the feature section regarding a story I did In Iraq during the war called Iraq, the aftermath of Saddam.

“What I am really astonished by is that a news organization like the BBC doesn’t check the sources and it’s willing to publish any picture sent it by anyone: activist, citizen journalist or whatever. That’s all.

He added he was less concerned about an apology or the use of image without consent, adding: “What is amazing it’s that a news organization has a picture proving a massacre that happened yesterday in Syria and instead it’s a picture that was taken in 2003 of a totally different massacre.

“Someone is using someone else’s picture for propaganda on purpose.”

A spokesman for the BBC said: “We were aware of this image being widely circulated on the internet in the early hours of this morning following the most recent atrocities in Syria.

“We used it with a clear disclaimer saying it could not be independently verified.

“Efforts were made overnight to track down the original source of the image and when it was established the picture was inaccurate we removed it immediately.”

The new Iranian Majlis (parliament) has strongly condemned the ruthless massacre of defenseless Syrians in Houla, saying the US is responsible for the attack.

“The barbaric massacre of the innocent people of Houla, in Homs, is reminiscent of the merciless terrorist atrocities in Sabra and Shatila and is a blatant symbol of terrorist acts and mass murder in this juncture of human history,” the 9th Majlis lawmakers said in a statement Monday.

On May 25, deadly clashes broke out between Syrian forces and armed groups in Houla, located in the central province of Homs.

Head of the UN observer mission in Syria Major General Robert Mood said in a briefing via video from Damascus to an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Sunday that UN observers in Houla estimate 108 people were killed, including 49 children and 34 women.

The Iranian lawmakers said there is no doubt the terrorists responsible for such atrocities are armed and trained by the West and its regional allies and are dispatched into Syria by some of its neighbors.

“The US should be held accountable for its incorrect policies in Syria,” they said.

The lawmakers called on the United Nations Security Council to prevent the shipment of weapons into Syria.

Earlier, Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast also condemned the ”suspicious attack” in the village of Houla and stressed the necessity of identifying and punishing the perpetrators.

“The attack has been carried out in order to create chaos and instability in Syria and its perpetrators are trying to block the way to a peaceful resolution,” Mehmanparast said on Sunday.

More than 55 Libyans from the Tuareg tribe have crossed over into Algerian territory in the last two days through the border crossing at Debdeb in the province of Illizi. They left the town of Ghadames and its surrounding villages out of fear of reprisals by armed groups against certain individuals, and particularly against Tuareg families.

Sources inside the Libyan city of Ghadames told El-Khabar that the Tuareg tribes have been subjected to ethnic cleansing for the past eight months. The Ghadames tribe, which is backed by forces affiliated with the National Transitional Council, is allegedly carrying out these acts. The latter burned and destroyed hostels and stables belonging to the Tuareg tribe and expelled them from the city, forcing them to flee into Algeria.

According to the escapees, many Tuareg members were subjected to “illegal” detention in secret locations under inhumane conditions. They added that members of the Ghadames tribes are searching for Tuareg members everywhere, even in hospitals, to kill and torture them. They have also recently arrested a large number of them, including women.

Tuareg representatives from the Libyan city of Ghadames expressed their fear of physical liquidation by the Ghadamesites, especially after the arrival of a large number of NTC troops who support them to the area in the last couple of days. According to the Tuaregs, the escalation of events have put them in danger, and international intervention is now required to save them from death. Libya has more than 500,000 Tuaregs distributed among the cities of Ghadames, Ghat, Ubari and Sabha, where they have established close relations with some Libyan families.

According to information out of Ghadames, the situation is now stable after a week of armed clashes between young members of local Tuareg families and the Ghadamesites. The latter have waged a war which the Tuareg described as “vengeful.” Fourteen people have been killed, including a military field commander named Issa Tlili, and at least 20 others from both sides have been wounded by gunfire. The Debdeb crossing of the Algeria border is now closed and prohibits the entry of escapees from the deteriorating security situation in Ghadames. These orders come from the highest authorities in the country, as confirmed by official sources to El-Khabar.

Now, hundreds of Libyan Tuaregs who have escaped from hell are stranded at the Algerian-Libyan border and suffering harsh conditions. They are unable to enter Algeria since they do not carry passports or other proof of their identities.

Articles of Interest

Inside Story – Israel accused of ill-treating African migrants

Stuxnet x20: Massive cyber spy virus ‘Flame’ hits Iran, Israel

A powerful data-snatching virus targeting computers in Iran, Israel and other Middle Eastern countries has been discovered by Russian experts. The worm has been used for years for what seems to be state-sponsored cyber espionage.

This week has been full of illuminating disclosures concerning the American criminal-justice system. Last Monday, a Columbia Law School project showed convincingly that Carlos DeLuna, executed for homicide by the state of Texas in 1989, was innocent of the crime; the project also showed who actually committed the crime. The revelation was shocking in part because DeLuna’s name had never figured among the dozen or more prisoners executed by Texas whose guilt has been vigorously and publicly contested; even his own lawyers seemed to have assumed his guilt.

Four days later, news broke in the case of Cameron Todd Willingham – executed by Texas in 2004 for murders, dubbed the “Texas witch trials,” that involved bizarre allegations of occultism related to the defendant’s love of heavy-metal music – when a state district-court judge reviewing the case concluded that Texas had wrongfully convicted and executed Willingham. The judge, who cited “overwhelming, credible and reliable evidence” presented at a hearing in October 2010, prepared an order of posthumous exoneration, but its issuance was effectively blocked by a state appellate court, which criticized the continued exploration of the Willingham case.

Now, a joint project by students and faculty at the University of Michigan and Northwestern University law schools has assembled the details (.pdf) of more than 2,000 exonerations since 1989.

The ABA Journalarticle on the report notes:

873 exonerations from 1989 through March 1, 2012 [were examined] in close detail, of which nearly half were wrongly convicted of murder. Of those, 101 were sentenced to death….

In half of the 873 detailed exonerations, 43 percent of the cases involved mistaken eyewitness identification, and 24 percent of the cases involved false or misleading forensic evidence. Researchers also noted 1,170 individuals cleared in “group exonerations” related to 13 police-corruption scandals across the country, the Columbus Dispatch reports. It took an average of 11 years, from conviction to exoneration, for wrongfully convicted people to be cleared.

The cities with the most exonerations were Chicago and Dallas – but should not necessarily be taken as evidence of a wrongful-conviction problem in those two cities. Rather, their rankings point to the fact that special projects were launched in both cities to review dubious convictions – often making use of new DNA-evidence techniques – after scandals exposed corruption involving police and prosecutors. Similar scandals erupted in other jurisdictions, notably New Orleans, but no special review efforts took place.

How does this happen? Why are there so many wrongful convictions when there is so much at stake for both the defendants and the victims and when we pride ourselves on a legal system designed to ensure meaningful judicial review? The reasons are legion. It matters where you are convicted, for example, and the color of your skin matters too. And it matters who your police and prosecutors and judges are. The report reveals that in a whopping 56 percent of murder-case exonerations the initial convictions was based upon “official misconduct.”

It isn’t surprising that the system misfires – judges, prosecutors, and jurors are human, and thus fallible. Indeed, the 2,000 instances of exoneration documented by the study are undoubtedly only a sampling of the false convictions produced by the nation’s criminal-justice system since 1989 – they are simply the misfires the system itself has acknowledged. Unfortunately, our system is highly resistant to recognizing such misfires. The data therefore serve to highlight those judicial defenders of capital punishment who insist, as Antonin Scalia has put it, that “capital cases are given especially close scrutiny at every level” – an observation that could only be made by someone who is either woefully ignorant about the actual process or determined to shill for it.

Judicial reticence about exonerations and support for capital punishment rest, at their core, on hollow professions of certitude about case results, coupled with two other considerations. The first is an economically driven perspective that views process as a sort of metered utility, arguing that society can expend only so much time and effort on court activities before reaching a remedy and bringing the proceedings to a conclusion. This view has been applied with special vigor to capital-punishment cases, which in the view of conservatives require far too much judicial time and energy. The second consideration relates to confidence in the criminal-justice system. It argues that once a final conviction has been pronounced, it should not be unsettled lest that confidence be undermined. But this view essentially confuses justice with the vanity of its human actors, especially those prosecutors and judges who fear the embarrassment associated with being proven wrong (a trait which is itself disqualifying of a good prosecutor or judge).

The Michigan – Northwestern exoneration database provides another powerful tool for understanding a badly flawed criminal-justice system. Legislatures, prosecutors, and courts must be challenged to extract from it a clearer understanding of the system’s weaknesses, and to accept with humility the compromised role they have thus far played.

Another phenomenon merits notice here, too: In the war-on-terrorism detention cases, students at dozens of law schools across the United States (led by Seton Hall) played a critical role in disclosing abuse and misconduct by American government actors. Likewise, death penalty and innocence projects have been fueled by the extraordinary diligence of students at Columbia, Michigan, Northwestern, and many other universities. It is remarkable to contrast the complacency and self-satisfaction of many figures at the highest echelons of our legal system with the relentless questioning and demands for improvement from students who are committed to their ideals.

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